Oroklini man pleads guilty to stabbings and arson

A 35-year-old man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the stabbing of three people in a Larnaca club and setting fire to a pub in Oroklini.

Larnaca district court ordered the Oroklini resident be held at Nicosia Central Prisons until sentencing on August 12. He was charged with causing actual bodily harm, carrying a knife, malicious damage and arson, all committed in the early hours of July 26.

Police were called to the Paparazzi night club in Larnaca at 3.10am on the night in question, following reports of three people having been injured.

On arriving at the scene, clients of the club said the suspect had, during an argument, pulled a knife on the owner of the club from Ormidia, a man from Larnaca and a Palestinian, and stabbed them.

A foldable knife with a nine-centimetre blade and a sharp tip was found on the premises and taken as evidence.

Later at around 03.40am, a fire which was set maliciously at the Manoulia pub in Oroklini caused damage to the front of the premises before being put out.

Eyewitness saw the 35-year-old’s yellow van leaving the scene, the suspect having previously been thrown out the pub at 1.30am after causing problems.

At about 03.50am police received a report that the suspect had returned to the Paparazzi where he deliberately and illegally rammed the van into the window of the premises.

Larnaca CID then went back to the scene where they discovered the vehicle on the pavement.

The suspect then made his way on foot to the police station where he handed himself in, made a voluntary statement, but originally only admitted to the offences of arson and malicious damage.