Fine for bodybuilding priest who took steroids
Fine for bodybuilding priest who took steroids, By: John Leonidou
10/14/06
A NICOSIA Court yesterday fiend an apprentice priest £370 fine after he was caught in possession of anabolic steroids which he told police he used for bodybuilding.
Nektarios Taki, 29, had pleaded guilty to the charge if circulating an illegal drug without the relevant authorisation from the government.
According to State Prosecutor Alexia Shapani, Taki, who was working as a builder at the time, had crossed into the north from the checkpoint in Ayios Dhometios in Nicosia on February 2, 2004 and returned a few hours later.
During a search by at the checkpoint, custom officers discovered a small plastic bottle in Taki’s pocket containing 14 pills. The bottle had Turkish writing on it.
Taki was arrested shortly afterwards and under questioning told investigators that the pills were anabolic steroids he uses to enhance his strength for when he works out at his local gym.
Pleading mitigation yesterday, Taki’s defence lawyer said that his client felt great remorse for what he did adding that he has stopped using the performance enhancing drug and is now in the latter stages of his priest apprenticeship.
“Since May, my client has been training to be a priest and is embarking on a new life wanting to follow in the footsteps of his father – who has himself been a priest for 25 years”, said the lawyer.
Meanwhile, the court also heard pleas from the defence to spare the trainee priest from prison time because he was also under observation from two psychiatrists.
“Both psychiatrists have deduced that the defendant suffers from some kind of psychosis and that he still needs treatment for his condition. Both of them have also said that prison would have a negative effect on my client.”
Taki, who has a long beard and was escorted in court yesterday by his father, sank his head as Judge Angelos David said that although the crime was serious the nature of the offence itself did not constitute a punishment of imprisonment.
The judge then fined Taki £370 while ordering the pills be destroyed.
