Priest claims he was abused and blackmailed

A LIMASSOL priest told police on Sunday that he had been kidnapped, physically abused and blackmailed by three men.

Police received the complaint from the 43-year-old priest of a Limassol village last Sunday in what they have described as “very serious allegations”. The priest, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police officers that he had been systematically blackmailed in the past by the same three young men. According to the priest, the men, whom he had met a while back and had attempted to “guide them towards the path of God”, had continuously blackmailed him out of money by threatening that they would say he was committing lewd acts with them.

Terrified by the threats, the priest repeatedly gave them money and only last Friday had given them £300. But an incident that occurred last Saturday appeared to have been the final straw.

In his statement to police, the priest claimed that the men had kidnapped him from the church garden, driven him to a remote location and made him take off all of his clothes before trying to abuse him in front of a video camera.

“These men are the low-lives of the community. They forced me into their car and they took me to some isolated place. After stripping me naked they attempted to violate me. But they didn’t succeed in doing anything to me. They just wanted to film me naked so they could have something to blackmail me with.”

They priest went on to tell police that when he tried to escape, the men beat him before telling him that they wanted £10,000 or they would expose the footage.

“They eventually drove me back to the church garden and drove off. They told me that they would give me just one day to pay and they even kept calling me that same night continuously threatening to expose the film.”

Police have arrested one man and another two are being sought in connection with the case. The 27-year-old man, who denies all the charges, was ordered by a Limassol court to be held in remand for seven days. The Bishop of Limassol has been informed of the complaints.

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