A 51-year-old monk accused of the attempted murder of a 53-year-old employee of the Holy Stavropegic Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Tala pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared before the Paphos Permanent Assize Court on Monday.
The court scheduled the next hearing for 16 February 2027 and ordered that the defendant remain in custody pending trial.
During proceedings, held at around 11am, the defendant denied all charges brought against him.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, he also faces charges of:
- Possession of an offensive weapon.
- Carrying an offensive weapon.
- Carrying a knife.
Bail request previously rejected
At an earlier hearing, defence lawyer Leandros Theocharous submitted an application seeking the defendant's release under conditions.
The request was rejected by the court, which took into account both the seriousness of the alleged offences and a previous ruling by the Paphos District Court.
Previous applications for release had also been filed by former defence counsel Alexandros Alexandrou.
In refusing bail, the District Court noted the gravity of the allegations and found that, despite the defendant's ties to the Republic of Cyprus, those connections were not considered sufficiently strong to eliminate the risk of absconding.
Alleged incident at monastery
The offences under investigation are alleged to have taken place on 7 August at approximately 1:30pm at the Holy Stavropegic Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Tala.
The case will return before the Assize Court on 16 February 2027.
