Police face inquiry on serial killer case

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus’ top lawyer said Tuesday that he has ordered a criminal probe into how police handled the country’s first serial killer investigation, which led to the conviction of an army officer for the deaths of seven foreign women and girls.

Attorney General Costas Clerides said in a statement that 15 members of the force may have breached the law or been negligent in their duty.

Clerides said he launched the investigation after examining an Independent Police Complaints Authority report. The authority found that some actions went beyond mere oversights on the part of some police force members and “constituted the basis” for establishing that a criminal offense may have been committed.

Clerides provided no further details, but there were allegations at the time that police failed to take seriously initial missing persons reports about the victims.

The victims were three women from the Philippines and the daughter of one of them; a Romanian mother and daughter; and a Nepalese woman.

Army Capt. Nicholas Metaxas, 35, was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms in prison after pleading guilty to premeditated murder and kidnapping over a 2½-year period.