A British tourist has had his jail term doubled after the prosecution service appealed the lenient sentence over the hit-and-run death of a Swedish mother in Ayia Napa.
The unnamed Briton was involved in the tragic killing of Swedish mum Camilla Christina Pamdahl, 46, who was on holiday with her five-year-old daughter on May 4 in the town popular with British party tourists.
The man was originally found guilty in July and handed a one-year prison sentence by the Famagusta district court and his license was suspended for 18 months.
But the Cypriot state prosecution service felt the sentence was too lenient and immediately appealed the decision.
The attorney general’s office issued a statement on Friday saying: “The Supreme Court unanimously accepted the appeal for the inadequacy of the sentence imposed by the district court of Famagusta.
"On 1 December, the prison sentence was increased to 2.5 years, sending the appropriate message to society that provocative, selfish driving behaviours, which result in the loss of human lives, should be addressed with rigour."
The Briton was found guilty of causing death due to a reckless or dangerous act, driving a vehicle under the influence of drugs, abandoning the scene of an accident and failing to report it.
He was driving a rented beach buggy at the time of the accident and in a shocking twist, fled the scene on foot leaving the woman and child at the scene.
Police said the Brit was nearly five times over the legal alcohol limit of 9mg with a test reading of 44mg and also tested positive for cannabis in his system when arrested.
Ms Pamdahl was taken to Famagusta General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. T
Her daughter was in the care of a local welfare office and was being treated by a child psychologist.
Hotel manager Louis Misseris told MailOnline: "It is very sad. I saw the accident as I arrived at the hotel and saw the road was blocked by the police.
"I decided to go and check it wasn't one of our guests because the zebra crossing is right outside the hotel and at first the police were not able to say.
"Then after about an hour or so one of the staff from the kids club told us that a little girl hadn't been picked up and it was then we realised the victim was one of our guests.
"The police gave us the name and we checked and she was staying with us – she had arrived the Friday before and should have left a week later."
