A LARNACA court yesterday remanded a 34-year-old man suspected of raping a ten-year-old boy on Wednesday night.
The Greek Cypriot, who was remanded for eight days, was caught around midnight yesterday when the police tracked down a man matching the description given to them by the boy as well as a bystander who allegedly saw him loitering in the area before the incident on Wednesday evening.
The Palestinian boy was on his bike at around 9pm when a man on a motorbike forced him to go along with him to "show [him his] dog".
The man then took the boy to a rooftop and raped him at knifepoint.
The boy – who had to walk from the scene of the rape to the Larnaca police headquarters and tell the police what had happened to him – is doing well, said the head of Makarios children’s hospital, Costas Hadjicostis.
Police spokesman Andreas Angelides said that “the police started intensive investigations resulting in the arrest of the 34-year-old from the moment a complaint was made”.
“You understand that this is a very delicate issue so we will not say more,” Angelides said.
The Cyprus Mail was told that the fact the man’s look was “distinctive” had helped police find someone matching the description. They now need to do DNA tests and have the boy confirm whether or not he recognises the suspect as his attacker.
The police said the 34-year-old does not have a criminal record.
On Wednesday night, “a very scared little child” was taken to Makarios children’s hospital in Nicosia.
The hospital has a specialised team to treat physical, sexual and psychological abuses along with the help of a state pathologist, Hadjicostis said.
He was doing better yesterday and the boy and his parents are getting psychological support, Hadjicostis said.
He said there is “a real increase of abuses” though he added that he had no statistics available.
“We are dealing with a serious incident of sexual abuse, which is also an issue that blights Cypriot society,” child commissioner Leda Koursoumba said.
She said that through visiting schools and consulting with children she learned that sexual abuse is “part of reality for today’s youths”.
Sexual abuse incidents may be higher than those reported to the media and authorities, the association for the prevention and handling of domestic violence in the family said.
People should report cases to the police so they can keep a record even when no further legal action can be taken, the association said.
A free helpline is available at 1440 for information and support but it is not staffed around the clock.
