Nigerian student jailed for 14 years for sexual assault in Cyprus

The High Criminal Court of Cyprus, sitting in Nicosia, has sentenced a Nigerian student, Obasi Chimezirm Princewill, to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman and recording the act without her consent.

The court found the defendant guilty on all counts following a trial into the incident, which occurred between March 25 and the early hours of March 26, 2023, in the Hamitköy area of ​​Nicosia.

According to the court proceedings, the victim and the convict knew each other before the attack. Princewill is said to have illegally entered the woman’s dormitory, overpowered her and assaulted her multiple times.

Testifying before the court, a police officer, Sgt. Mustafa Mahan, revealed that authorities had previously received several rape allegations against the accused. He added that Princewill allegedly attempted to induce some complainants with around ₦500,000 to withdraw their cases.

In the sentence the three judges defined the crime as serious, underlining that the condemned man had abused his status as a foreign student.

“The defendant came to our country as a student. After becoming an illegal immigrant, he continued to reside here and committed such a serious crime,” the court found.

The judges said the 14-year sentence reflected tougher penalties introduced by recent amendments to Cyprus’ laws in response to rising cases of sexual crimes.

The court also highlighted aggravating factors, including the recording of the assault without the victim’s consent, attempts to evade arrest and the defendant’s lack of remorse throughout the trial.

Princewill is expected to serve his sentence in a Cyprus penitentiary.

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