Appeal court doubles suspended sentence for Nicosia car arson

Nicosia, Cyprus. The court of appeal has doubled a 26-year-old man’s prison sentence for a car arson in Nicosia to two years, while retaining its suspension. The judges ruled that jealousy, apparently the motive, could not justify mitigation.

Appeal succeeds on sentence length

The man had admitted guilt at Nicosia district court and received a suspended one-year prison term. Attorney-general George Savvides challenged both the sentence’s length, arguing that it was manifestly insufficient, and the decision to suspend it.

The appeal court upheld the challenge to the length of imprisonment but rejected the argument against suspension.

Preparation undermined finding of sudden rage

The court heard that the arson occurred in November 2023 after an incident in August of the same year. The man collected a petrol can from his apartment building’s basement, travelled to a Nicosia car park and ignited the vehicle at 1.30am. He subsequently discarded the can and his clothing in his neighbourhood.

The district court had concluded that he acted in a fit of rage and had not planned the offence. The appeal judges rejected that assessment, citing both the interval between the incident that provoked his anger and the arson, and the time spent preparing.

Those circumstances, they said, did not support a finding that he acted “in the heat of the moment”.

Risks to the public and property

The appeal court also found that the district court had overlooked the danger posed to the public and surrounding property by the location and timing of the fire. The judges considered those circumstances an aggravating factor.

They stressed the seriousness of arson because it threatens both life and property, concluding that the initial punishment failed to reflect either the offence’s gravity or the need for “deterrent sentences”.