Man sentenced to three years in prison for stealing €20 from a kiosk in Cyprus

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A court in Cyprus (south) on Thursday sentenced a 28-year-old man to three years imprisonment after h was found guilty of stealing just €20 from a kiosk and attempted robberies in Nicosia. 

The man, who acted in the Strovolos area under the influence of drugs, managed to take money from only one of four kiosks he targeted. He left the other three empty-handed.

He admitted five charges relating to three attempted robberies, one robbery and possession of an offensive weapon—a knife.

According to the judgement, he entered the kiosks without covering his face and brandished a kitchen knife whilst attempting to rob the owners.

Despite meeting no resistance, he left with nothing in three cases. Only once was he given €20 before leaving.

A defence report stated that at the time of the offences, the accused had been using drugs for a prolonged period, leaving him sleepless and psychologically dysregulated and with his ability to distinguish right from wrong impaired.

The court took into account that the 28-year-old had a clean criminal record, the childhood traumas he carried—including years spent with a foster family and the deaths of both his parents—and the dire financial situation in which he found himself.

Whilst the court acknowledged the young man’s personal circumstances, it emphasised the seriousness of the offences he committed and the need for deterrence, which in this case, given the number and timing of the incidents, extended to specific deterrence purposes.

The judgement noted that the accused had brandished an offensive weapon at fellow citizens who were shopkeepers and attempted to rob them.

The judge acknowledged that the man’s psychological state might explain the cause of his actions to a degree, but the consequences were felt at the same intensity by the victims, regardless of causes and motives.

The court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment for the robbery and 2.5 years for the attempted robberies. The sentences will run concurrently.