The appeals court has halved the length of a prison sentence handed to a young British national employed by the British army, for engaging in sexual acts with an underage person.
The court then suspended implementing the prison sentence.
The statutory rape happened in 2022 in Paphos, between a girl aged 16 years and five months and the man aged 20s years and four months. The age of consent in Cyprus is 17.
Their age difference is three years and 11 months.
The man was found guilty on seven charges and was handed concurrent prison sentences, the longest of which was three years for illegal intercourse.
The charges included violence or coercion, for which he was acquitted.
The criminal court had accepted the testimony of the girl, who said she had told the man she was 17 when they met.
The man had appealed the criminal court’s ruling.
The appeals court took into account the man’s clear criminal record and the fact that he was employed in the British army, as any prison sentence would mean he would lose his job.
The court also said there had been no violence or coercion and that their age gap was small.
Furthermore, the appeals court took into consideration that the girl had said she was 17 at the time and in any case was close to the age of consent.
The appeals court accepted the appeal and reduced the prison sentence from three years to 18 months, as well as the other sentences.
It also suspended the longest sentence, deeming that the girl had misled the young man.
