Prosecution drops charges against three in Demosthenous murder trial

Local LimassolmurderTop Newstrial Prosecution drops charges against three in Demosthenous murder trial Fonos Dimosthenous 3new Relevant News Two-car crash on Larnaca Airport-Ayia Napa motorway, police urge caution 8 September 2026 Prosecution drops charges against three in Demosthenous murder trial 8 September 2026 Parties approve presidential vehicle funding after public row 8 September 2026 Ioanna Mantzipa 8 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Prosecutors suspended criminal proceedings against three of the six defendants in the trial over the murder of businessman Stavros Demosthenous on Tuesday, in a surprise turn at the start of the day’s hearing before the Limassol Permanent Criminal Court. The suspension leaves four defendants before the court, down from the original six. Senior Counsel of the Republic Andreas Hadjikyrou, now handling the case alongside colleague Loukas Karnos, told the court a 16th charge, theft, would be added against one of the 30-year-old defendants. Defence counsel raised no objection to amending the indictment and said his client intended to plead guilty. The charge concerned the theft of a priest’s vehicle on October 5, 2025. The defendant pleaded guilty, and a new hearing is expected to be set to establish the facts of that offence. Hadjikyrou then told the court that, on the Attorney General’s instructions, prosecution of all charges against defendants one, two and three was being suspended, with the exception of the charge the first defendant had just admitted. Four defendants now remain before the court: a 30-year-old, a 31-year-old and two 28-year-olds. Following this development, the court cancelled the hearing dates previously scheduled and set a new date, September 16, when the facts will be presented and sentence passed on the first defendant for the charge he admitted, while the hearing continues for the remaining defendants. Background: the case so far The case dates back to October 17, 2025, when Demosthenous, a 49-year-old businessman, was shot dead in Limassol, near his home, in what police have described as a mafia-style killing. Six defendants, two 30-year-olds, a 31-year-old, a 51-year-old and two 28-year-olds, originally faced 15 charges, including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit murder, arson of a vehicle, illegal possession, transport and use of a firearm, illegal possession, transport and use of explosives, and vehicle theft. At a hearing on June 5, all six pleaded not guilty to every charge, and the court set September 8 as the trial’s start date, along with 11 further dates running to the end of September. According to the case against them, one of the 30-year-old defendants is said to have been involved in buying and selling the motorcycle used by the attackers to flee after burning the van used in the ambush. The other 30-year-old, already serving a sentence in a separate case, is accused of giving instructions from Central Prison for the motorcycle’s purchase. The 51-year-old’s genetic material was found in a stolen vehicle said to have been used to surveil the victim. The 31-year-old is accused of driving the van from which the shots were fired; he was initially arrested for being an accessory after the murder, over claims he helped one of the two 28-year-old defendants escape through the north, and was later rearrested over allegations he ordered fake number plates for the stolen vehicle, with his genetic material also found on a hat dropped by one of the two men during their motorcycle escape. One of the 28-year-olds is accused of being the gunman, and the other is said to have driven the getaway car after the two abandoned the motorcycle. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Two-car crash on Larnaca Airport-Ayia Napa motorway, police urge caution Parties approve presidential vehicle funding after public row Nine break-ins hit two Nicosia villages within hours Bill to legalise illegal boreholes, fines up to €3,000 Former Othello cinema ruled dangerous, health hazard found inside Businesses rush to remove illegal solar panels before EAC checks Christodoulides, al-Sisi and Mitsotakis meet in El Alamein today Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.