Ex-Husband Enjoys New Life While Mother of Five Faces Prison

The former husband of a mother of five, currently imprisoned in Taiwan for drug smuggling, has been spotted living a luxurious life with his new wife. Debbie Voulgaris, 58, is serving a 15-year sentence after being apprehended at Taoyuan International Airport on December 10, 2023, with drugs valued at approximately $1.9 million. Despite pleading guilty to avoid a harsher sentence, she maintains her innocence, claiming she was set up.

Ms. Voulgaris, who had no previous legal troubles, initially denied any knowledge of the drugs but later changed her plea. She asserts that her ex-husband, John Kyriacou, is responsible for her current predicament, alleging that he was involved with individuals who deceived her regarding the nature of her trip. In contrast, Kyriacou, now living in Narre Warren, southeast of Melbourne, appears to have distanced himself from the situation.

Life Behind Bars for Voulgaris

Currently incarcerated in one of Taiwan’s toughest prisons, Ms. Voulgaris shares a cell with ten other women and can only receive visitors during designated weekday hours. Conversations occur through a soundproof glass window, limiting interactions with her family to just 15 minutes at a time. Initially, a non-communication order prevented her children from visiting her for the first eight months of her sentence. However, that ban has since been lifted, allowing her children to travel to Taiwan to see her.

In a heartfelt letter to her children, Ms. Voulgaris expressed her enduring love and concern for their well-being. “All I want is for you to stay safe, eat well, look after each other and don’t worry about me,” she wrote. Despite her dire circumstances, she appears more focused on her children’s health and happiness than her own situation.

Her daughter, Maria, has been an active advocate for her mother, frequently traveling to Taiwan to support her. “It’s going to be amazing, she has finally got some positive news,” Maria shared, referencing a potential retrial that could alter her mother’s fate. The family holds onto hope amid the challenges they face.

Kyriacou’s Silence and Legal Complications

John Kyriacou, who has since remarried and appears to be living comfortably, has refrained from discussing the situation publicly. Neighbors report that he rarely leaves his home, which is situated in a neighborhood filled with multimillion-dollar properties. When approached for comments regarding his ex-wife’s claims, he declined to engage and closed the door on reporters.

In an earlier statement, Kyriacou indicated that he and Ms. Voulgaris had been victims of a scam orchestrated by business associates while pursuing an overseas investment. Despite this assertion, he did not comply with a subpoena to testify at the Taoyuan District Court regarding his ex-wife’s case, which could have provided crucial evidence in her defense. The court noted that his absence hindered the ability to present a full picture of the circumstances surrounding her arrest.

The judge overseeing the case indicated that without Kyriacou’s testimony, the court could only rely on the existing evidence, which resulted in Ms. Voulgaris receiving one of the most severe drug-related sentences handed to an Australian abroad in recent years. While her sentence was reduced from sixteen to fifteen years, her family believes that Kyriacou’s lack of cooperation directly impacted her legal outcomes.

As the situation unfolds, Ms. Voulgaris’s family continues to fight for her freedom, hoping that the potential retrial might offer a chance for a new verdict. With ongoing efforts to secure evidence that could support her claims of innocence, they remain resolute in their quest for justice.