A 45-year-old man appeared before the Dhekelia British Bases court on Friday on charges of premeditated murder for the killing of 52-year-old Charalambos Konstantinides. The incident occurred on June 25 at an auto body shop in Ormidia.
During the court proceedings, the defendant’s lawyer requested additional time to decide whether the accused would plead guilty or not.
The court scheduled the next session for July 17 and asked the defendant to decide if he wishes to be tried by the British Bases court or by a court of the Republic of Cyprus. Should the latter be chosen, the case will proceed to the criminal court where the defendant will have to respond to the charge.
According to reports, the 45-year-old has confessed in writing to committing the murder after a verbal dispute with the victim over a financial disagreement. In his statement, he claimed to have shot Konstantinides twice before striking him with an iron rod on the head and other parts of his body.
Witness accounts suggest that Konstantinides had been persistently demanding a sum of approximately €300 from the accused. The victim had been working sporadically at the auto body shop owned by the suspect, and the financial disagreement that led to the altercation was allegedly over unpaid wages.
The murder took place on the night of June 25. British Bases police were alerted at 10pm by a neighbour who reported hearing two gunshots. The witness went to the scene and saw the victim lying in a pool of blood, with the suspect nearby.
Police arrived at the scene within 15 minutes, but the suspect had fled in a car parked in the garage. Additionally, the suspect attempted to cover up the crime by washing away blood and other evidence with a hose.
