Paphos District Court declined to impose a penalty on a woman who violated Covid-19 restrictions as a teenager in 2021, ruling that punishment “would serve no purpose” given the changed circumstances.
The case involved an 18-year-old who was found in a residence in Chloraka during a period when Covid-19 regulations prohibited non-residents from visiting homes.
The court heard that police entered the property on January 2, 2021, following a tip-off about stolen goods. Officers discovered several individuals, including the defendant, along with an unexplained computer.
The offence was classified as low-severity, considering multiple factors including the defendant’s subsequent motherhood, her cooperation with authorities, and her young age at the time of the violation.
In its ruling, the court noted that similar behaviour is no longer criminal, contrasting the case with a recent €1,800 fine upheld on April 8, 2022, involving a butcher shop worker with a prior conviction who served customers in violation of health measures.
“Any penal treatment today would not serve any of the purposes of punishment,” the court stated.
The defendant received a separate €460 fine for unrelated non-Covid offences.
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