A SRI LANKAN woman told a court yesterday that she was beaten by CID officers into confessing that she had stolen from her employer in November last year.
Judge Lemonia Kaoutzani had ordered a trial within a trial, after the 35-year-old woman had claimed that she was beaten by two officers then forced into writing a confession in the presence of a translator and her former employer.
The woman was charged with stealing 40 bottles of whisky, a video camera and some DVDs from the woman that she had been working for in Lakatamia. The stolen items were later recovered from the Sri Lankan woman’s friend known as Ana.
Taking the stand, the woman told the court that she was taken to Nicosia CID by an officer she said was called Pambos after he picked up from the Labour Department.
Breaking down into tears, the woman said, “At CID he started asking me where I was currently living and why I had stolen those items from my madam. When I told him that I didn’t steal anything and that I only left my madam’s house with the clothes that she gave me, he slapped me hard across the face and called me a liar.
“I went dizzy from the slap and I was in extreme pain. He then kicked me in the lower abdomen and I wet myself. I begged him to stop and it was then that Pambos took off his belt and threatened to beat me if I didn’t confess,” said the woman clutching a handkerchief.
“I then said yes but only to the clothes that I took and not the other items he accused me of stealing. It was then that a woman officer handcuffed me, threw me to the floor and placed her foot on my back. I then saw my madam shaking Pambos’ hand and everyone smiling.”
According to the woman she was then taken to Lakatamia police station where she was then taken to Nicosia General Hospital then back to the station where she was blackmailed into signing the written confession.
“The doctors wouldn’t examine me in the abdomen and my head where I told them it was hurting.
I then saw them talking to some of the police officers and the doctors then came in and told me that I was OK and that I could leave. When I got back to the police station, somebody came up to me and told me to sign the confession that they had written up at CID.
“The person told me that if I didn’t sign, I would got to prison for seven years in Cyprus and then sent back to Sri Lanka where I would again have to serve out a prison sentence. I was frozen with fear and without knowing what I was doing signed the confession.”
State Prosecutor Marios Koutsoftas then accused the woman of lying and that she had willingly signed the statement then regretted her decision.
The woman again broke down crying, forcing the intervention of Judge Kaoutzani.
“The accused has to stop crying or I will be forced to stop the proceedings. Either she stops now and cries afterwards or I will order a short recess so she can get herself together. She can’t stand there crying continuously.”
Defence lawyer Pavlos Erotokritou then called to the stand Sister Adeline Condon of St. Joseph’s Church who told the court that the woman had been staying at church’s social centre recently and that she had been in poor health.
“She was in bad shape. That day she got back from the police station, she couldn’t walk and she kept fainting.”
Judge Kaoutzani said that she would come to her decision regarding the trial within a trial on March 28.
