The Court of Appeal on Friday unanimously ordered a man who killed his neighbour’s cat by repeatedly striking it on the head with a broomstick to serve a two-month prison sentence.
The court overturned an earlier decision by the Nicosia district court to suspend the sentence for three years, ruling that there had been insufficient justification for doing so.
However, it rejected the attorney-general’s argument that the two-month sentence was excessively lenient and should be increased.
In its decision, the Court of Appeal stressed the need for strict punishment of animal cruelty offences, both to deter potential offenders and to protect animals from abuse.
The man had been convicted by the Nicosia district court following his admission that he killed his neighbour’s cat in August 2021.
He repeatedly struck the animal on the head with a broomstick before placing it in a basket, where it briefly writhed before dying.
The appeal court noted that it was unclear whether the trial court had adequately considered the brutality of the repeated blows, which caused a fatal head injury, or the fact that the injured animal had subsequently been placed in a basket.
In determining the original sentence, the district court had taken into account the defendant’s admission, clean criminal record and personal circumstances as mitigating factors.
The Court of Appeal acknowledged that the two-month prison sentence could be considered lenient but found that it was not so inadequate as to warrant intervention.
However, it ruled that the mitigating factors considered when determining the length of a sentence did not automatically justify suspending it.
The appeal court found that the district court had failed to provide sufficient reasons for suspending the sentence.
It also rejected the defence’s argument that the time elapsed since the offence should be treated as a mitigating factor.
The court noted that delays in the original proceedings had resulted from difficulties serving the indictment, postponements involving the defence and the welfare office’s failure to prepare a report on time because the defendant had not responded.
The Court of Appeal therefore rejected the attorney-general’s challenge to the length of the sentence but upheld the appeal against its suspension, ordering the man to begin serving his two-month prison term immediately.
"There is a panoply of drugs out there that will destroy your kids," says retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro.
Following recent college deaths and allegations around a campus cocaine trafficking ring, Mauro said America's students are now the primary prey for a relentless and deadly drug trade.
"If you're sending a kid off to college these days, you better sit that child down and give that child a hard primer on what could possibly happen," he said.
FIT fentanyl poisoning death
A recently unsealed indictment shows Moises Freire, 19, and Brian Peralta, 18, both from Queens, New York, are facing charges after a young woman was killed and another seriously injured after they were allegedly poisoned by fentanyl.
Reports indicate Annabel Richter, 20, was killed after she ingested the drug supplied by the men, who allegedly told her it was simply "cocaine."
She had moved from Brazil to live in the U.S. to pursue her studies at Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology, the New York Post reported. She was found unresponsive with another female victim in a dorm room.
According to the federal indictment, Freire allegedly raped the victim and "waited approximately 45 minutes to contact campus security" about the woman being unconscious.
Mauro questioned why there wasn't more media attention on the case.
"It happened on a campus and the only thing I can conjure is that it happened in New York City, and so the powers that be as we come into an election season would rather these rape stories or these campus crime stories occur someplace far from New York where they could have any impact on the elections here," he said.
The indictment also alleges Freire texted photos to his friends of one unconscious victim, who was "naked below the waist."
The second victim sustained "serious bodily injury" and regained consciousness after receiving life-saving care in the hospital.
Court records indicate both men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death. Freire is additionally charged with distributing a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape.
In a statement, FIT President Jason Schupbach said in part, "We are thankful to our teams from Public Safety and Residential Life for their immediate response in March, and also to the Department of Justice and the NYPD for their actions in March and their continued focus on this case. As a community, we continue to support each other through difficult times."
Ole Miss deaths
Campus drug deaths extend beyond New York City, including at the University of Mississippi, where federal prosecutors and local authorities launched intensive investigations following the deaths of two students.
Ole Miss students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were found dead of suspected drug overdoses in September.
Investigators recovered packages of kratom-related products or "gas station heroin" at both scenes where the victims were discovered.
The discovery prompted federal charges against a vape shop clerk and his son for illicitly selling dangerous, banned compounds disguised in retail packaging.
The deaths sent shock waves through the campus community, intensifying urgent warnings from law enforcement about unregulated substances flooding college towns.
"It really is a minefield out there these days, and it's not an accident. Our enemies know what they're doing, and your kids are the target," Mauro said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ole Miss for comment.
Penn State cocaine ring
Adding to the mounting national crisis on campuses, Pennsylvania's top prosecutor, Attorney General Dave Sunday, announced sweeping charges against 14 men — including current and former students — following an investigation into an alleged cocaine trafficking organized crime ring.
At the center of the enterprise, authorities identified former student Agostino Abbatiello, 24, as the primary ringleader and kingpin, aka "Pablo Pledgescabar."
Mauro said the networks rely on supply from foreign countries.
"You got the Chinese making this stuff. It goes to the cartels in Mexico and South America. It gets brought up here into the country, and it's [distributed onto campuses now]," he said.
"They keep coming. Why? Chinese make this stuff in labs. They just change the formula all the time, and one of the reasons for that is they want to stay ahead of the charging here in America, the charges that get captured by the drug laws," he said.
Penn State said in a statement, in part: "While the problem of illicit narcotics is a global issue, the recent allegations of drug trafficking taking place so close to the University Park campus is very concerning."
"In prevention efforts, Vice President for Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower shared a message with the Penn State community last month, and additional messaging has been sent directly to students and parents related to health and safety, including on alcohol, drugs and hazing," the school added.
Chicago taxpayers will pay at least $472.8 million to defend and settle lawsuits connected to former Chicago Police detective Reynaldo Guevara, who has been accused of falsifying police reports, framing suspects, and forcing witnesses to identify innocent people as criminals. The Chicago City Council unanimously approved a $260.8 million settlement for 17 men who spent a combined 383 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted in cases tied to Guevara's investigations. The settlement brings the total to 32 resolved cases, while another 25 lawsuits remain pending. The city has also paid $56.2 million to private attorneys to defend Guevara and other officers named in the cases. Many of the men who were wrongly convicted spent decades in prison, and judges have granted certificates of innocence to several people involved. Guevara retired in 2005 and still receives an annual police pension of $91,000. Despite repeated allegations of misconduct, he has not been criminally charged for his actions as an officer. The growing cost of these cases comes as Chicago faces a projected $882.5 million budget gap for 2027.
Report calls for an effort to tackle harms in similar way to obesity and smoking, and stresses need to ‘offer boys something better’
The manosphere and online misogyny should be treated by the government as a public health issue, in the same way as obesity or smoking, experts have said.
Writing in the Lancet, the authors of a new report argue that a coordinated response is needed, involving governments, schools, health services and community organisations, similar to the public-health response to tobacco use and ultra-processed food.
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