Louisa Zannetou spoke to “P” yesterday about the regular control of hunting weapons licenses.
The Commissioner of Legislation, on the occasion of the murder of 29-year-old Stavros Antoniou the day before yesterday morning in Geri, after a fatal shooting with a double-edged sword, expressed the position that the licenses should expire and be re-checked. He made it clear that he was not referring to a significant reduction in their number or deprivation of the right of citizens to engage in hunting. He explained that what he proposes is for the licenses to have an expiration date and for their issuance criteria to be re-checked. He added that the person in charge of revoking a license from a person who is not suitable to possess a shotgun is the respective Chief of Police. He said, however, that based on the available data, he could not be fully aware and could intervene in any case of a person behaving aggressively.
“A person may be granted a license and for some reason his personal circumstances may change to the extent that he is not suitable to carry a hunting weapon license. “The Chief of Police cannot know this based on the data that are valid”, added Ms. Zannetou.
After a relevant question, he stated that in January 2020, when the Law on Firearms and Non-Firearms had returned to the fore, he had sent a letter to the Minister of Justice (note on the term of office of G. Savvidis), expressing the aforementioned positions.
It should be noted that yesterday, Ms. Zannetou commented on the case that shocked the Cypriot society through a message on her personal twitter account: “Another life was lost unjustly and violently by a shotgun. Licenses must have an expiration date to recheck the issuance criteria if they continue to exist, a lot changes in the holder and his ability over time. Strength in the victim's family “.
Without a lawyer
Yesterday, the District Court of Nicosia approved the request of the Nicosia TAE for the issuance of an 8-day detention order of the 58-year-old MP. The confessed perpetrator of the murder of 29-year-old Stavros Antoniou and the serious injury of the latter's father, Frangiskos, appeared without a lawyer and, as was logical, did not object to the request of the Police. After all, as we noted yesterday, he admitted committing the crime. He confessed orally by subscribing to it, and then gave a voluntary testimony.
It should be noted that the 58-year-old was evaluated by a psychiatrist of the Republic and was deemed fit to attend court proceedings.
We remind you that MP, after an argument he had with his 52-year-old father and his 29-year-old son over a ramp they built in front of their two-story house, threw tomatoes at them, thinking that they laughed with him. He allegedly claimed that the 52-year-old spoke to him in an aggressive manner (“I will bury you”) and that after that, he attacked his two neighbors with a stick. He then entered the house and returned with a shotgun, killing 29-year-old Stavros and seriously injuring the 52-year-old father of the victim.
When he was arrested a little later by members of the Police, outside in the back of his house, he was holding in his hands the fork with which he committed the crime. He handed it over after a brief discussion with the police officers who responded to the incident.
The preliminary study…
The most serious charge the perpetrator faces is that of premeditated murder. In fact, the examinations of TAE Nicosia focus on this point. They believe that the perpetrator had the clarity to plan the crime.
If a person is faced with such an accusation and is found guilty, then he is sentenced to life imprisonment under our criminal code. However, following harmonization with the European acquis, a lifer has the right to apply for his release to the Council for the Release of Prisoners on Leave, provided he has served the first 12 years of his sentence.
Murder in 2002 as well
This was not the first time we had a murder in Cyprus due to a dispute over a parking lot. In the summer of 2002, in Moutallos, Paphos, a 55-year-old man shot again and killed two men (one 38-year-old married man, father of two minor children). The 55-year-old had been granted refugee housing and considered himself the beneficiary of the neighboring open space. At the same time, this point was used by the two (later) victims as a place to store building materials related to their profession (construction contractors), but also to park their vehicles. One of them lived in a neighboring house. Due to the situation, conflicts arose between them, and the 55-year-old had made complaints and actions to secure the said plot of land. On July 12, 2002, the latter had placed boulders to prevent the two victims from using the open space. The next morning, the then 55-year-old was informed by his wife that the victims had moved the large stones and that they had used the disputed open space. He then located them in a neighboring house and shot them repeatedly. The perpetrator had been convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 and 18 years in prison, respectively. The court, examining the circumstances, ruled that the perpetrator did not premeditate the crime.
Shotguns in the wrong hands continue to kill people – The perpetrator of the murder was imprisoned because he tore the tires of Greeks
Murder in Geri: 29-year-old dead and his father seriously injured – The 58-year-old perpetrator was arrested (Photo – video)
Killer Geri: The name of the victim is in the public eye – The Police is studying a premeditated murder
