Nicosia Criminal Court on Wednesday handed down a six year jail sentence to Lefteris Solomou who had pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy.
Solomou is the second defendant to plead guilty to lesser charges in connection with the double murder of school teacher Yiorgos Hadjigeorghiou and his wife Dina Sergiou at their Strovolos home in April 2018.
Sarah Siams, the former girl friend of the main defendant in the case, Loizos Tzionis, is currently serving a four year sentence for conspiracy to commit a crime.
Tzionis has pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder but admitted to robbery and other lesser charges. Also on trial in the case is Marios Hadjixenophontos who has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
The couple were found in a pool of blood in what police believe was a botched robbery. Their teenage son had been locked in a cupboard but managed to get away and alert the neighbours.
In passing sentence on Wednesday, the judge said that the offences were serious as robbery carries a maximum sentence of life and conspiracy a maximum of seven years.
He said that he had taken the defendant’s young age, his clean criminal record and the assistance he gave police as factors in mitigation of the sentence. He also took into consideration his poor psychological state on the night of the murder.
Solomou may appear as a witness for the prosecution. The other charges against him were dropped when he pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy.
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https://in-cyprus.com/strovolos-double-murder-witness-appeals-sentence/
