A 42-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son have been remanded in custody for eight days over the killing of her 51-year-old partner in Peyia, as police search for the son’s young girlfriend. The pair told police the son wounded the man in the abdomen during a scuffle after he brandished a knife.
In their statements, the mother and son said the 51-year-old often had outbursts, which they blamed on cocaine use, and frequently caused jealous scenes over his partner. They said this happened again on Monday afternoon, when the son stepped in.
A police representative told Paphos District Court, however, that the mother and son had so far been careful not to implicate anyone else in the events of Monday night.
When officers arrived at the house where the three lived, they found bloodstains, and the floors had clearly just been mopped, the representative said.
He said inquiries indicated the girlfriend had been driving the car when the mother and son put the injured man in it to take him to hospital.
Police are examining whether she panicked when she realised how seriously he was hurt and abandoned the car where it was later found. They are also trying to establish whether the mother or the girlfriend called the ambulance service.
Five statements have been taken so far, and another 50 are expected from the victim’s family, work and social circles.
The representative said that because the investigation was at an early stage and another person was being sought, there was a risk of evidence being tampered with. Police therefore requested the eight-day remand, which the court granted.
The search for the weapon is continuing.
