father s — father s — The attorney-general is set to determine on Friday whether to initiate criminal proceedings against a 37-year-old British father, who has been remanded in custody after the tragic death of his three-year-old son in Paphos. The young boy fell from a fourth-floor hotel window, prompting a police investigation that has left the father facing serious allegations.
The incident occurred last weekend when the father was reportedly holding his son outside their hotel room as the family prepared for dinner. While playing with the child in his arms, the boy allegedly slipped through an open section of a sliding window that the father did not realise was ajar. The child fell to the ground below and succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
Following the incident, the father was remanded on Sunday for eight days, suspected of causing death by a rash or negligent act and failing in his parental duties. His lawyer, Petros Stavrou, has been vocal about the conditions surrounding his client’s detention, suggesting there is no justification for keeping him in custody during the investigation.
Stavrou expressed his concerns in a conversation with the Cyprus Mail, highlighting that he had submitted a letter to the police on Tuesday, advocating for the father’s release. “If authorities believe there is a risk the father could leave Cyprus, less restrictive measures are available,” he stated, suggesting that taking away his passports would suffice.
During the remand hearing on Monday, the father appeared without legal representation, a situation Stavrou attributed to his client’s severe psychological trauma. “He was given the option of having a lawyer as a matter of procedure, but he simply was not in a condition to decide something like that,” Stavrou explained. The emotional strain of the situation, he noted, affected the father’s ability to respond to the legal proceedings adequately.
Stavrou further argued that the length of the remand order was excessive, particularly considering the father’s fragile mental state following the loss of his son. His immediate concern, according to the lawyer, is to be released so he and his wife can inform their five-year-old daughter about her brother’s death. Currently, they have only told her that her sibling is in hospital.
In his letter to the police, Stavrou mentioned that the father appeared before the court in a state of “indescribable psychological collapse” and did not object to the eight-day remand order due to his mental condition. The emotional and psychological toll of the incident has been profound, as the family grapples with their loss while navigating the legal complexities surrounding the case.
As the case progresses, police have confirmed that toxicology tests conducted on the father returned negative results, which may play a role in the attorney-general’s forthcoming decision. The completed case file is expected to be submitted shortly, paving the way for a resolution regarding potential charges against the father.
