Foreign worker shot by employer

A THIRD-country national working illegally on a construction site in Limassol was shot in the leg by his 32-year-old employer, who claims it was an accident, police said yesterday.

The events took place on Wednesday. The victim was taken to Limassol General Hospital and told doctors that he had been wounded after a piece of metal accidentally fell on his leg at the construction site where he worked. However, while examining the man, the doctors found a piece of shotgun cartridge inside his leg, and called the police.

Police arrived shortly at the hospital and questioned the victim. The victim finally told police that he had been working for the 32-year-old without a permit, and that the latter shot him after he had refused to go on a hunting trip with him.

Specifically at around 10am, the 32-year-old asked his employee to go hunting with him, but he declined. They then started talking, and meanwhile the 32-year-old placed a loaded shotgun on top of his car. The victim then went back to his work, but a few minutes later a shot rang out and he was hit in the leg.

The 32-year-old was questioned by police and admitted that he had taken his uncle’s shotgun, for which he had no licence. He claimed that the gun had slipped from his car and accidentally fired, wounding the victim. He was arrested and remanded in custody.

The victim has also been arrested for residing illegally in Cyprus. He remains in Limassol General Hospital for treatment, but is under police guard.

Police continue to investigate the case.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.