THE 34-year-old man whose effort to rob a bank in Curium last October was foiled by an off-duty police officer and members of the public was sentenced to eight years imprisonment yesterday by the Limassol criminal court. 

Leandros Kyriacou was found guilty of armed robbery of the Curium Co-op at Episkopi village on October 6, as well as charges of possessing a firearm and explosive material, assault causing actual bodily harm and resisting arrest.  

The robber almost got away with €30,000 which the bank’s employees stashed in a bag at gun point.

However, when the man attempted to flee the scene on his high powered motorcycle, a bank employee followed him and knocked his bike to the ground.

Kyriacou hit the employee and fired a shot, at which point Sergeant Lefkios Prodromou, who happened to be passing by, threw a rock at him.

The co-op’s employees, a bystander and Prodromou then immobilised the robber until reinforcements arrived. Last month, police chief Michalis Papageorgiou promoted Prodromou for showing bravery in the line of duty.

Presenting mitigating factors, Kyriacou’s lawyer told the court that the 34-year-old carried out the armed robbery to help his brother who suffers from serious health problems. 

In sentencing, the court said such serious crimes could not be justified by trying to help one’s family. However, the court took into consideration his confession of guilty and the absence of a criminal past. The stolen money will be returned to the co-op. 

The maximum punishment for armed robbery is a life sentence. 

Cyprus Mail