A 58-year-old man on Friday pleaded not guilty before the Paphos criminal court to a charge of premeditated murder over the death of 26-year-old Alexandros Antoniou.

Responding to the charges read by state lawyer Andreas Hadjikyrou the accused denied the allegation that he planned the killing of Antoniou but admitted to carrying a knife outside his property on the night of the murder.

Prosecutors allege the weapon was used to inflict the fatal injury.

Defence lawyer Elias Stefanou told the court that the facts surrounding the incident were not disputed but rejected the prosecution’s claim of premeditation, adding that the defence position is that the case concerns homicide rather than premeditated murder.

The prosecution requested that the accused remain in custody pending trial, citing the seriousness of the charges and the risk of non-appearance.

The court accepted the request and ordered that the 58-year-old remain in custody, with the trial set to begin on October 13.

Prosecutors have already submitted their evidence, including CCTV footage said to capture the incident and a series of expert reports expected to be presented during the hearing.

The case stems from the fatal stabbing of Antoniou outside a kiosk in the Paphos district village of Konia last November.

According to evidence previously presented before the court, CCTV footage shows Antoniou parked outside the kiosk shortly before 6.20pm while speaking on the telephonephone.

A man is then seen approaching the driver’s side of the vehicle, opening the door and confronting him.

Police investigator Andronikos Tsappis previously told the court that the suspect struck Antoniou while he remained seated inside the vehicle before delivering a second blow to the neck.

Witnesses reported hearing the suspect tell Antoniou, “I told you not to bother Eliza”, while another person on the telephone with the victim allegedly heard a male voice say, “If you hurt Eliza again, I will kill you.”

Investigators have alleged that the suspect was motivated by concerns involving his daughter, who had earlier reported damage to her vehicle’s tyres allegedly caused by Antoniou, understood to be her former partner, who reportedly harassed her for an extended period of time.

Following the attack, Antoniou entered the kiosk before collapsing.

He was initially taken to the Paphos general hospital and later transferred to a private hospital, where he died in the early hours of November 22 last year.

A post-mortem examination conducted by state forensic pathologist Nikolaos Charalambous concluded that Antoniou’s death was caused by a “sharp force injury which severed the right carotid artery”.

The prosecution also relies on forensic evidence linking the accused to the crime scene.

Genetic material recovered from the rear of the driver’s seat where Antoniou had been sitting was identified as belonging to the 58-year-old defendant.

The accused was arrested the day after the attack and has remained in custody throughout the investigation.

During questioning, he admitted involvement in the incident but maintained it was not a planned act, describing it as a matter of “bad timing” and claiming he acted while emotionally charged.