Limassol, Cyprus. The trial of six people accused in connection with the murder of businessman Stavros Demosthenous was postponed on Wednesday until next month after one defendant was absent and defence lawyers requested more time to review the case.
Court postponement and defence requests
Five of the six defendants appeared at the Limassol criminal court. The sixth defendant did not attend after recently undergoing surgery.
Defence lawyers told the court their clients were not ready to respond to the charges. In some instances, they requested further details and clarifications regarding the accusations.
They also said they were faced with a “large amount” of evidence that required evaluation, including “two large-capacity computer hard drives”. Defence lawyers asked the prosecution to prepare a “relevant list of what the electronic files contain” to “facilitate the process”, and to ensure the remainder of the evidence is provided to the defence.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 27.
Background to the case
Demosthenous, 49, was known for serving as chairman of second division football club Karmiotissa FC. He was shot while riding in the passenger seat of a car driven by his 18-year-old son.
Police spokeswoman Kyriaki Lambrianidou previously said the shooting took place about 500 metres from the victim’s home, and that initial information suggested he was shot from a vehicle travelling in front of them.
After the shooting, Demosthenous’ son drove towards the hospital but crashed on the motorway. He then flagged down a car and asked the driver to take them to hospital.
What do you think is the key issue the court will consider at the next hearing on May 27?
