Nicosia: A 28-year-old man sentenced to 3 years in prison for a series of kiosk attacks

The Nicosia District Court sentenced a 28-year-old man to three years in prison for one completed and three attempted robberies of kiosks in the Strovolos area. The defendant acted under the influence of drugs, threatening shopkeepers with a kitchen knife. In fact, he managed to seize only 20 euros — in the other cases he left empty-handed, although he did not face serious resistance.

The man admitted his guilt on five counts: three attempted robberies, one robbery and illegal possession of a weapon (a knife). According to the decision, he entered the kiosks without a mask or any face covering, displayed the knife and demanded money from the owners.

The court took into account mitigating circumstances: a complete lack of prior convictions, a difficult childhood and life in foster care, the death of both parents, severe financial hardship, as well as psychological instability and long-term drug use that influenced his behaviour. Nevertheless, the judge emphasized that the seriousness of the crimes and the need to prevent similar incidents did not allow for a more lenient sentence.

As a result, the completed robbery was punished with 3 years in prison, and the attempts — with 2.5 years. Since the sentences were assigned concurrently, the final punishment amounts to three years of imprisonment.