39-year-old jailed for torching Christmas tree

A 39-year-old man has been handed concurrent prison sentences for burning down the Paphos municipality Christmas tree in January.

The Paphos district court passed sentences for torching and destroying the Christmas tree and damaging property, with the longest sentence being 14 months in prison.

The court heard that at around 3.15am on January 3, the Christmas tree, in Kennedy Square in Paphos, caught fire and was completely destroyed.

Police investigations led to the arrest of the 39-year-old just before midnight on January 5.

The suspect remained in custody until the court ruling.

The 14-month sentence’s starting date is January 10, when the case was taken to court.