Monk denies charges over alleged attempted murder at Saint Neophytos Monastery

Paphos, Cyprus. A monk aged 51 entered not-guilty pleas to every charge on Monday at Paphos criminal court in a case involving an alleged attempt to murder an employee at Saint Neophytos Monastery in Tala. The court ordered his continued detention.

Dispute over monastery accommodation

The attempted murder charge concerns a 53-year-old employee and an alleged attack on August 7.

According to police, the incident followed a disagreement about monastic accommodation. After inspecting the cell, the abbot asked the accused to surrender its key. The monk reportedly declined, and the two struggled as the abbot tried to take it from him.

The employee had been called in as a technician should a lock replacement prove necessary. Police said he stepped between the men to separate them, after which the accused allegedly used a paper cutter to stab his neck and right hand.

Police further alleged that a novice monk, aged 27, held the accused from behind and sustained an injury to his right hand from the same implement.

Earlier requests to surrender the cell

At an earlier hearing, the court was told that the accused had occupied two rooms for several years. His late father had used one of them.

The monastery said its repeated requests for the cell to be surrendered had been refused for approximately four years. It said the abbot had exercised “patience and understanding” before renewing the request on the morning when the alleged attack occurred.

In August, Paphos district court ordered the monk’s detention because of the risk of him fleeing ahead of his trial.