Appeal court suspends remaining jail terms after man’s completion of drug rehabilitation

Nicosia, Cyprus. The appeal court has suspended the remainder of a man’s prison sentences for three years, finding that the trial court had overlooked his successful completion of drug rehabilitation. The terms imposed for burglaries and other offences remain unchanged.

Rehabilitation central to appeal

The appeal court granted the man’s application for suspended sentences in a ruling dated October 15, which was released on Tuesday.

According to the ruling, he spent a year at the Ayia Skepi centre, from June 2025 to June 2026, successfully completing its rehabilitation programme. The appeal judges found that the trial court should have considered that achievement when deciding whether to suspend his sentences.

The judges concluded that suspension would benefit both the man and society. They left the sentences intact but suspended the unserved portion for three years, starting from the date of the trial court’s ruling.

Offences and sentencing considerations

The ruling noted that the man had pleaded guilty to six out of ten charges. The offences included burglary, theft, possessing burglary tools, unlawful possession of property and malicious damage.

The trial court had ordered the prison terms to run concurrently, with the longest set at three years, and had refused his application for suspension.

The appeal judges found that the trial court had properly weighed the gravity of the offences, his previous convictions and his immediate guilty plea. It had also correctly considered that most of the stolen items had been restored to their owners, they said.