Nicosia criminal court on Thursday found guilty of manslaughter all five defendants in the case regarding the death of 60-year-old Dorotheos Demetriades.

Demetriades lost his life after being badly beaten following a verbal altercation in an apartment building in Latsia in January 2023.

The defendants are: Elena Andreou, 32; her husband Michalis Michael, 37; Giorgos Diolas, 29; and Frangeskos Stavrou, 30. The fifth defendant, 27-year-old Ioannis Kokkinos had earlier pleaded guilty.

On June 17 the defence attorneys will enter their pleas for mitigation, after which the court will convene on another date to pass sentencing.

Defendants Andreou and Michael had taken the stand during the trial, whereas Diolas and Stavrou chose to remain silent.

On January 4, 2023 Demetriades had visited the apartment building in Latsia, called there by one of the tenants, a female friend of his. The tenant was having a dispute with her neighbours, and Demetriades decided to go there to assist her.

Demetriades knocked on the door of the neighbours, and the door was opened by Andreou. The situation escalated, and Dorotheou got into a physical altercation with Andreou’s husband Michael.

At some point, Michael’s son called three other individuals – the other defendants – to come to their aid. Demetriades received a severe beating, which led to his death.

The official cause of death given was bleeding from the abdomen.

Initially seven individuals had been indicted, but later the prosecution dropped the charges against two persons.

Thursday’s court proceedings were attended by the families and friends of the victim and of the defendants.