A man serving a 35-year prison sentence for multiple attempted murders and previously convicted of rape has received a presidential pardon and suspension of his sentence, allowing for his release after serving around six years in custody.

Charalambos Chrysanthou, widely known as Hamburger, had been sentenced by both the Larnaca and Famagusta permanent criminal courts in July 2020 after admitting to 24 charges arising from two separate attempted murder cases involving five victims in Larnaca and Ayia Napa.

He had also been sentenced two months earlier to five years imprisonment for the rape and assault of a woman in Paphos.

According to information obtained by news outlet Reporter, the pardon was granted with the consent of attorney-general George Savvides and his deputy Savvas Angelides.

As part of the conditions attached to the suspension of his sentence, Chrysanthou was required to leave Cyprus by July 1 and is prohibited from returning until 2040.

Without the suspension, his prison term would have expired in 2055.

Reporter further stated that the decision forms part of the witness programme operated by the drugs squad (Ykan), under which convicted offenders may receive sentence reductions or suspensions in exchange for providing evidence against co-defendants in criminal proceedings.

The offences for which Chrysanthou was sentenced included conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, illegal possession and transportation of firearms, and drug offences.

One case concerned the attempted murder of Constantinos Charalambous, known as ‘Mavros’, in Larnaca on November 27, 2019.

The second related to a shooting at a café in Ayia Napa on February 16, 2020, in which a businessman was allegedly targeted while four patrons were injured.

In its sentencing, the criminal court described the offences as displaying “a devastating and inconceivably provocative disrespect for human life”.

The judge said the absence of fatalities was “solely due to the good fortune of the victims”.

Referring to the Ayia Napa shooting, the court said the defendant acted “ruthlessly”, firing “indiscriminately at people who were sitting carefree in the cafeteria”, despite realising that his intended target was not present.

In relation to the Larnaca attack, the court found he had acted “with persistence, dedication and brutality”, repeatedly shooting at the victim under conditions of surprise.

The sentencing judgment also referred to Chrysanthou’s previous convictions.

In May 2020, the Paphos criminal court sentenced him to concurrent prison terms of five and two years for rape and assault causing grievous bodily harm.

The judgment stated he physically assaulted the complainant before forcing her to have sexual intercourse against her will while threatening her and telling her, “You know who I am, I did 17 years in prison”.

The court also recorded an earlier conviction in Greece, where the Thessaloniki appeals court imposed a ten-year prison sentence and a €100,000 fine in 2015 for a drugs offence before his release in 2016.