Monk accused of murder to remain in custody

The 51-year-old monk who stands accused of attempted murder at the Ayios Neophytos monastery in the Paphos district village of Tala will remain in custody following a ruling of the Paphos criminal court on Wednesday. The ruling follows a request by defence lawyer Leandros Theocharous for the defendant to be granted parole. Following the examination of the request, the court rejected it, ruling that the 51-year-old will remain in custody due to the seriousness of the offence and the previous decision of the Paphos district court. The latter had in August ruled that the monk must remain in custody due to the risk of him fleeing before his case is heard. A new hearing in the case was set for October 26. The man is accused of attacking a 53-year-old monastery employee with a paper cutter during a dispute over a cell key on August 7.