Nicos Sampson will be remembered as the leader of a coup that briefly ousted the President of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios in July 1974. That event provided the pretext for the Turkish invasion and occupation of the northern third of the island n a state of affairs that still prevails today, despite years of UN-brokered efforts to resolve the Cyprus crisis.

Sampson's eight-day coup led not only to heavy loss of life among the Greek Cypriot community, but also to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians who were forced to flee their homes in the north to become refugees in their own country. Nevertheless, Sampson continued to enjoy the support of a small band of faithful followers right up to his death n years after stepping down from the public stage. At the same time, many Greek Cypriots condemned him not only for his far right-wing policies and the damage he did to inter-communal relations, but also for bringing catastrophe upon the island in the form of the Turkish occupation.

Born Nicos Georghiades in Famagusta, he began his working life as a correspondent for The Times of Cyprus, changing his surname to Sampson, to distinguish him from countless others who bore his family name. He was soon drawn into the campaign against British rule in the colony, waged from 1955 to 1959.

Joining the terrorist group Eoka under General Grivas, he became known to the British Army and police as one of its most feared and ruthless gunmen. He and his gang were to become notorious for a number of killings they carried out along Ledra Street CC Nicosia==s infamous AAMurder Mile@@. Among these were the murders in 1956 of three police sergeants, for one of which Sampson was sent for trial in May 1957. Although he confessed, he was eventually acquitted because of doubts that his confession had been obtained voluntarily. But in June he was convicted of pointing a Sten gun at the police who had arrested him. As was mandatory under the emergency regulations in force at that time, he was sentenced to death for possession of a firearm.

A fanatical believer in Enosis CC the union of Cyprus with Greece CC Sampson threw Makhi==s weight behind a campaign to achieve it, and his presence cast a baneful shadow over an island whose independence was uneasily shared by its Greek and Turkish communities. He actively incited clashes between the communities in 1963 which eventually led to a UN peacekeeping force being dispatched to Cyprus. The effect of these clashes was the eventual exclusion of the Turks from political power and led to the creation of separate administrative and legislative bodies for the Turkish community.

After the Athens-backed coup, the Greek military junta chose Sampson as president n but he was forced to resign eight days later. In August 1976, after being tried and found guilty of military actions against the state, Sampson was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was subsequently allowed to go to France for medical treatment, before returning to the island in June 1990. Following his release from prison only a few months later, he went back to the newspaper publishing business, reviving two former titles, Machi and To Tharros.

While the two papers enjoyed some success, the enthusiasm for Sampson and his extreme right-wing views was nothing like as great as it had been in the past. He was diagnosed as suffering from cancer earlier this year. He leaves a wife and two children n including a son who is running one of the family newspapers.