The state will pay €456,000 in compensation for a police brutality case that dates back to 1999 when a 25 year old man was beaten by police in Limassol — first in Heroes Square and later at the police station.
The man, who was 25 at a time, married and with a child, worked for a private company during the day and in the evenings would play bouzouki at night clubs three times a week.
As a result of the beating, he suffered bruises, abrasions and developed psychological problems.
The case went to court which expressed its revulsion at the behaviour of the police officers and awarded compensation of €80,000 and another €60,000 for loss of future earnings.
The plaintiff appealed seeking higher compensation and was examined by a medical board which found that he suffered from psycho-traumatic stress as a result of the incident, had self destructive tendencies and could no longer work. The family broke up and he isolated himself at home.
The Appeals Court increased the compensation to €346,000. It also awarded €30,000 in punitive damages, saying it wanted to show its abhorrence for such behaviour which had turned a healthy young man into a psychological wreck.
The total compensation is €456,000 which includes interest from 2009 when the suit was filed.
