On Saturday, the Paphos District Court issued a six-day detention order against a 51-year-old monk in connection with a case involving attempted murder, illegal possession and carrying of a weapon, and assault with a knife against a 53-year-old employee of the Holy Stavropegian Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Tala, Paphos.
The court stated that it was satisfied with the testimony and that the suspect is believed to be connected to the commission of the offenses. It also added that his release from police custody might lead to witness tampering and ordered the monk’s detention for six days.
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As reported in court by the investigating officer, there is reasonable evidence and suspicion that the suspect is involved in the crimes under investigation; for this reason, on August 7 at 1:30, he was arrested pursuant to a court warrant for the offenses under investigation and taken into custody.
SEE ALSO: Attempted murder at a monastery: The 51-year-old monk has been in his cell for six days; the attack was allegedly carried out with a paper cutter | AlphaNews
As reported by the investigator handling the case, on that day, around 7:30 a.m. at the Holy Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Tala, the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Leontios of Chytra, went outside the suspect’s cell to hand him the key to the cell to him, since for about 4 to 5 years—ever since his father passed away—he has occupied two cells, one of which had previously housed his father and in which he himself now resided.
Along with the Abbot, other monks were present, a novice monk, and the 53-year-old, who is a technician specializing in lock installations, so that if the suspect did not hand over the key, he could change the lock.
According to the investigator in the case, the abbot asked the suspect to open the cell, which he did. After entering the cell, the abbot inspected it and, seeing that it was in a state of disarray, stated that workers would be sent to clean it up. However, the suspect said that he would clear out his belongings himself, little by little, and closed the cell door.
The abbot then asked him to hand over the key, but, according to the investigator, he refused, and the abbot tried to grab it from his hand. The 51-year-old, according to the evidence presented, continued to refuse, resulting in the two of them grabbing each other’s hands at one point. Then, when the 53-year-old stepped in to separate them, the 51-year-old allegedly attacked him and struck him in the neck and on his right hand with a sharp object. As reported in court, the 27-year-old monk then grabbed the suspect from behind with his hands to prevent him from attacking, since the suspect was agitated; the suspect then used his lefthand, wounded the other complainant on the right hand with the blade of a paper cutter he was holding.
The 27-year-old monk continued to hold the suspect but let go when he saw that the 53-year-old was bleeding from the neck due to the wound caused by the attack he had suffered at the hands of the suspect. The 53-year-old then went to the Emergency Department of Paphos General Hospital, where, after being examined by the doctor on duty, he was found to have a laceration to the left side of his neckand a laceration to his right upper arm. He received sutures and was admitted for treatment.
Subsequently, police officers went to the scene to conduct an investigation and located the suspect. The 51-year-old monk, when questioned, reportedly admitted to committing the offenses, stating that he reacted because he wanted to clean out the cell by himself.
The investigator reported that five statements have been taken so far, and that 35 more are needed to complete the investigation—from individuals who live and work at the monastery, namely seven monks, two cleaning ladies, an accountant, and a gardener.
A statement will also be taken from a surgeon who examined one of the complainants. The monastery’s closed-circuit surveillance footage will be retrieved, and a statement will be taken from the technician. The evidence will be collected and sent for forensic analysis.
The monk’s defense attorney, Alexandros Alexandrou, did not object to the suspect’s detention. He noted, however, that the defense does not accept any of the charges against the suspect, nor the allegations regarding his contradictory statements. He also added that his client is placing himself at the disposal of the police.
It should be noted that throughout the court proceedings, the suspect prayed with his eyes closed. According to information from KYPE, the suspect monk had been on administrative leave for the past few months because he was late returning to the monastery in the evenings, with the monk himself stating that he was visiting his father’s grave and returning in the early morning hours.
Source: KYPE
