Appellate court upholds nine-year prison sentence for rape in Limassol

The Cyprus Appellate Court has upheld a nine-year prison sentence imposed on a 27-year-old man for a 2022 rape case in Limassol. The incident involved the defendant taking an unconscious, intoxicated woman from a nightclub to his apartment, where he engaged in a sexual act without her consent. The Limassol Criminal Court originally found him guilty under Article 144 of the Penal Code and laws regarding the prevention of violence against women. The defendant appealed the sentence, claiming it was excessive and that the lower court failed to consider mitigating factors such as his clean criminal record and his age at the time of the crime. The Appellate Court rejected these arguments, affirming that the exploitation of the victim's inability to consent and the resulting severe psychological impact justified the original sentence. The ruling confirms that the appellate judges found no reason to intervene in the lower court's sentencing decision.