The prosecution on Thursday dropped all charges against Sara Siance relating to the double murder of a school teacher and his wife, except that of conspiracy to commit a robbery.
The defendant has already pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and she is expected to be sentenced when the trial resumes on February 21. She is then expected to appear as a witness for the prosecution.
The trial will also continue for the other three defendants who have pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the premeditated murder of Yiorgos Hadjigeorgiou and Dina Sergiou last April.
The couple was found stabbed to death in their Strovolos home in what police believe was a botched robbery.
Siace’s lawyer said he had suggested to the defendant and her family that they take this course of action.
“I am here to lead Sara from the darkness to a more promising road, by shouldering her share of the responsibility,” he said.
The defendant suffers from Crohn’s disease and had been sexually abused by Loizos Tzionis, the lawyer said.
He spoke extensively on Sara’s relationship with Tzionis, saying that from the first day he had offered her drugs. Her father had warned her that because of Tzionis she would end up in jail, and following that remark she had left the family home in 2016.
“Tzioni’s treatment of her was the most degrading imaginable,” the lawyer added.
He said that Tzionis had raped his client on several occasions and said that Sara had neither planned, organised on participated in the robbery.
“What Sara did was that she went silently along with what defendant 1 had in mind as regards the robbery,” the lawyer said.
He also noted that his client had through her statements to police helped in solving the case and that she planned to appear as a witness for the prosecution.
Appealing for clemency, he said Sara has re-established links with her family, stopped using drugs and planned to resume her studies.
Loizos Tzionis, Lefteris Solomou and Marios Hadjixenophontos face charges that include premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, robbery and illegal possession of weapons. All have pleaded not guilty.
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https://in-cyprus.com/strovolos-murder-suspect-files-human-rights-claim-to-supreme-court/
