Second chance for young burglars

THREE juvenile delinquents were yesterday given a second chance after the Nicosia Assizes Court suspended the two-year jail sentence it had imposed for a string of burglaries.

The three, aged 15, 17 and 19, pleaded guilty to a series of burglaries committed in Nicosia and Limassol between November and December 2004.

They were part of a group of five defendants facing 11 burglary and theft related charges.

The other two pleaded not guilty and their trial was set for a later stage.
The court also took into consideration five other cases concerning two of the three defendants.

Sentencing was held behind closed doors.

According to reports, the 15-year-old and the 19-year-old were involved in a burglary at the Demos supermarket last December, from which cash and valuables worth around £20,000 were stolen.

The two admitted their involvement, saying one acted as a guard and the other as the driver, earning around £1,500 between them.

The 17-year-old admitted his involvement in the break-in of a Limassol supermarket from where the safe had been stolen, containing around £6,000 in cash.

The 19-year-old also admitted taking part in three other burglaries in Nicosia, while the 17-year-old was involved in two more supermarket break-ins in the district.

The court said it had taken into consideration the seriousness of the offences and the fact that such crimes were on the rise.

It also considered their confession and personal circumstances, as well as the secondary role that the three youths had played in the burglaries.

They were sentenced to two years in jail, but the term was suspended for three years, mainly due to their young age, the court said.

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