Two remanded over brutal beating of British property buyer

Cyprus Mail January 18, 2008

TWO property developers, a father and son were remanded yesterday by the Paralimni court for four days suspected of assaulting British home buyer Conor O’ Dwyer with whom they were engaged in a legal dispute.

Police officer Marios Christou told the Cyprus Mail the two men had been arrested late on Wednesday and appeared in court yesterday.

“They were remanded for four days,” he said. Christou said police were also looking for a third man suspected of being involved in the assault.

A police bulleting issued later in the day said the two men aged 55 and 32 were being held in connection with a traffic accident, grievous bodily harm and robbery.

During the alleged assault Frenaros village on Monday, O’ Dwyer told police that the two men had taken his camera, which had recorded the attack.

O’Dwyer, 38, who has widely publicised the details of his property dispute with the developers on youtube and on the website lyingbuilder.com, was kicked in the kidneys and had his head stomped on, according to his lawyer Yiannos Georgiades.

The Briton had already pressed charges over another alleged beating by the father and son developers in March 2006 while fighting his ongoing property case at court. They were later charged over the assault but the charges were dropped.

O’ Dwyer had gone to Frenaros to take pictures of changes to the area around the house to produce as evidence in the land wrangle because he thought the photos might prove important later.

After receiving a phone call from the woman to whom the house was later sold by the developers after they unilaterally cancelled their contact with O’Dwyer and kept £75,000 of his money, three men showed up.
They blocked his car with theirs and when he got out of the vehicle, allegedly set upon him and took his camera.

O’ Dwyer was admitted to Larnaca hospital the same day and was due to be released yesterday but Georgiades said doctors were keeping him in again last night.

“He is still in hospital,” Georgiades said. “He has difficulty in walking. He is able to go a short distance but then has to sit again. He is having a difficult time.”

By Jean Christou
(archive article – Friday, January 18, 2008)
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