Court of Appeal upholds detention of suspect for stalking and death threats against ex-partner in Limassol
The Court of Appeal upheld a three-day detention order for a suspect facing charges of death threats, stalking and distribution of pornographic material. The incidents were reported on 8 July 2026.
Court of Appeal blocks release: threats to "finish her", stalking and violation of court order
The Court of Appeal upheld a three-day detention order for a suspect accused of written death threats, distribution of pornographic material, harassing surveillance and violation of a court order against his former partner, according to Philenews.
The decision concerns a case that was initially heard by the District Court of Limassol, which had issued the detention order finding that there was a genuine risk of destruction of digital evidence and witness tampering.
Relationship, separation and prior complaints
According to the evidence cited in the Court of Appeal's judgment, the complainant maintained a relationship with the suspect from August 2024 to February 2025. Following the separation, there were unsuccessful reconciliation attempts, while the woman had already made complaints against him.
In a separate criminal case, registered on 30 May 2026, a court order had been issued prohibiting the suspect from approaching the complainant within a distance of less than 100 metres or communicating with her in any manner.
Early morning of 8 July 2026
The new complaint concerns incidents allegedly occurring in the early morning hours of 8 July 2026. Following her return from a night out, the complainant reported that she received threatening and abusive messages from two different mobile phone numbers. The sender threatened that he would "finish her" and "destroy her" if she reported him.
The complainant stated that she recognised the suspect from his writing style, the content of the messages, photographs he sent her and from his voice in a telephone conversation.
The Court of Appeal's position on the necessity of detention
The appeal focused exclusively on challenging the necessity of the detention. The appellate judges found that the trial judge correctly applied the relevant legal principles and adequately reasoned her decision.
Significant investigative measures remained pending that were directly related to the suspect's surroundings: the search of his residence and other premises to locate mobile phones, computers and other digital devices that may have been used to send the disputed messages or contained related files.
The Court also noted a reasonable risk of witness tampering — in particular persons who allegedly accompanied the suspect in a bar on the evening before the reported incidents and from whom statements had not yet been taken.
The Court of Appeal noted that, although some investigative measures could have been carried out during the ten-day period between the issuance of the arrest warrant and the suspect's arrest, this omission did not negate the need to continue detention, as a significant part of the investigative work remained ongoing.
Dismissal of the appeal
The Court of Appeal stressed that its role is not to re-examine the trial judge's decision from scratch, but to determine whether it was exercised in accordance with the principles of law and without extraneous factors. Finding that no such issue was present, it upheld the three-day detention order and dismissed the appeal.
Source: Philenews