A 32-year-old police officer was sentenced to three months in prison on Tuesday for sexually harassing a female colleague during his training at the Police Academy between 2018 and 2019.
The Nicosia District Court handed down concurrent sentences of three months for each count of indecent assault and one month for common assault. The officer was immediately taken into custody following the sentencing.
The case, which involved 11 police witnesses, saw the defendant found guilty of indecent assault against a woman and sexual harassment along with two counts of common assault.
Public prosecutor Elena Constantinou successfully proved the case beyond reasonable doubt after the accused maintained his right to silence during the proceedings. The defendant had initially pleaded not guilty to all four charges.
A senior sergeant, who testified during the hearing, claimed he could not recall when the victim reported the harassment to him and denied that she had mentioned an indecent assault during a break period.
The police force has launched disciplinary proceedings against the officer, with further action expected from police leadership, particularly as several Police Academy staff members testified in the case.
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