Nicosia, Cyprus. A British Bases court on Thursday ordered a father accused of negligence leading to the deaths of his two young children to remain in police custody, ruling that the seriousness of the allegations and the risk of absconding outweighed arguments for his release.
Court orders continued detention
The hearing focused on whether the defendant should remain in custody pending further proceedings. The prosecution argued that he presented a substantial flight risk and should not be released on bail.
The prosecution also referred to evidence suggesting the defendant may have consumed alcohol on the day of the incident, saying he had gone to purchase alcohol after finishing his job and did not go straight home.
Defence argues against bail refusal
The defence opposed the application, arguing there was no evidence that the defendant intended to flee and that he had extensive and longstanding ties to Cyprus.
The court heard from the defence that the defendant had access to financial resources for bail, including about €1,500 in savings and a further €5,000 from another source.
Defence counsel said the defendant had established personal and community connections and that his brother lives in Cyprus. Counsel also argued that the defendant’s conduct following the incident was inconsistent with an intention to flee, noting that he remained at the scene and cooperated fully with the authorities.
Judge cites seriousness of allegations
In his ruling, the judge said the defendant’s connections to Cyprus had “of course largely gone,” referring to the deaths of his children, and added that he did “not minimise that the defendant would be grieving for the loss of his children”.
However, the judge concluded that the seriousness of the charges remained the overriding consideration.
“The sole ground for objecting to bail is that the defendant will abscond. That he will fail to attend again. I must look at the information and try and assess as far as I can. On the information presently available I consider it strong. It includes cctv, number plate recognition amongst other aspects,” he said.