A 43-year-old Greek Cypriot from Kolossi was brought before the British bases in Episcopia on charges of stealing a Rolex watch from a car on the beach of Kourion. At the time of his arrest, the stolen watch was found in his possession.

The owner of the watch, which cost about 5000 euros, is a British man, a former soldier, permanently residing in Cyprus. He went for a swim, and when he returned to his car, he found that it had been broken into and the watch lying in the cabin had disappeared. He called the police and gave the law enforcement officers a fairly reliable description of a ‘suspiciously moving man’.

Two days later, a police patrol saw a man matching the description. After checking the video surveillance system of one of the beach restaurants, they concluded that there were grounds for arrest. In fact, the detainee’s watch was found to be British.

The defendant has been released on bail of 1500 euros and will face trial again on January 27.