82-Year-Old Shooter Pardoned by the President of Cyprus Released

In Cyprus, the court has released an 82-year-old grandfather who was pardoned by the country's President. The elderly man was sentenced to 2.5 years for shooting a thief with a rifle in the yard of his own home.

As announced on Monday by the president's spokesperson, Victor Papadopoulos, the pensioner has already "received a presidential pardon and is a free man."

It is reported that President Nikos Christodoulidis signed the pardon after receiving the consent of the Attorney General, George Savvidis, and the Deputy Attorney General, Savvas Angelidis.

Recall, President Nikos Christodoulidis instructed the legal service to pardon the grandfather within 24 hours of his sentencing. However, the appellate court later rejected the request to commute the sentence to probation.

The intricacies of the Cyprus constitution mean that presidential pardons are not unilateral decisions.

The final decision on pardons must be made by the acting president in conjunction with the legal service and with its consent. After the government's refusal, pressure continued on the legal service.

The government's deputy spokesperson, Yannis Antoniou, stated that the legal service's "initial reaction" did not "align with the president's opinion."

Following the completion of the trial, the elderly prisoner's lawyer, Maria Neofitu, stated that she is currently awaiting the position of the Attorney General regarding the presidential pardon.

The man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and carrying and using a firearm intentionally.

The shooting occurred in the village of Alassa in Limassol in June last year. The 82-year-old man came out of the house during a power outage to check the main power panel, taking a hunting rifle and cartridge for protection.

The pensioner noticed an unknown perpetrator attempting to steal an electrical wire. He approached the criminal, shouted at him, and then shot him in the back.

Initially, the thief was hospitalized, but later made a full recovery.