British motorist, 46, jailed for 22 years in Cyprus after deliberately pushing man off his bike following row outside nightclub
A British driver who sped off after a collision has been sentenced to 22 years in prison in Cyprus for causing the death of a man after deliberately pushing him from his bicycle following a row outside a nightclub.
The 46-year-old Briton, whose name has not been released, was convicted on Tuesday of killing Ioannis Polycarpou in Paphos in January 2023.
According to local reportsPolycarpou was at a local club in Paphos on January 21 when he got into an argument with the Briton.
The argument escalated dramatically as the night progressed. After leaving the nightclub, Polycarpou was riding his motorbike along Tomsbs of the Kings Avenue in Paphos when a car crashed into the back of his bike.
View of a police car parked in the streets of Paphos, Cyprus. A British man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison in Paphos for causing the death of a man after pushing him from his bicycle following a fight in a nightclub
Polycarpou was driven off the ground before the British driver could escape.
He was rushed to Paphos General Hospital but was sadly pronounced dead on arrival.
Hours later, the British man was found by police in his car, reportedly damaged in the collision with the motorcyclist the night before.
He allegedly tried to cover it up with spray paint. He was also tested for narcotics, which came back positive.
The Briton was arrested and has been in custody ever since.
He was initially charged with first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced to manslaughter.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a heated argument resulted in him deliberately hitting motorcyclist Polycarpou.
The tragic incident occurred two years ago after another British man was sentenced to two and a half years in a Cypriot prison. He was accused of running over and killing a Swedish mother while driving a beach buggy in the party town of Ayia Napa, before fleeing the scene.
Manraj Singh Sidhu, 25, appeared in court accused of murdering Camilla Christina Pamdahl, 46, who suffered multiple injuries after being hit at a zebra crossing.
The man is said to have drunk five times the legal amount and had cannabis in his blood when he hit the woman.