A teacher has been sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Larnaca District Court after being found guilty of sexually abusing and indecently assaulting a 14-year-old student.
It is the second time in recent years that the same educator has appeared before the courts over allegations involving a student. In the earlier case, he was acquitted by the Court of Appeal. In the latest case, however, he was convicted following a full hearing.
The case concerned an incident that took place in September 2021 at a secondary school in the Larnaca district, where the convicted teacher was employed.
The court accepted the testimony of the complainant, who was 14 years old and one of the teacher's students at the time, finding her to be a credible witness.
After reviewing all the evidence, the court concluded that the teacher had sexually abused the student by touching her chest without her consent and in a manner that exceeded the boundaries of permissible educational contact.
In its judgment, the court said the teacher's conduct constituted an abuse of the relationship of trust between educator and student and rejected the arguments put forward by the defence.
The defendant was sentenced to:
- 15 months' imprisonment for sexual abuse and exploitation of a child.
- Nine months' imprisonment for indecent assault.
The sentences will run concurrently.
The prosecution was handled by public prosecutor Eleftheria Iakoumetti.
According to information available, the Attorney General's Office intends to appeal the sentence, considering it "manifestly inadequate". The defence is also expected to appeal the conviction.
The first case
The same teacher had previously come to the attention of police over similar allegations.
In that case, the Larnaca District Court sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment for sexual abuse and indecent assault involving another student, with the alleged offences also said to have taken place at the school where he worked.
However, following an appeal, the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction and acquitted him of all charges in a ruling issued on 19 November 2019.
