Xylofagou, Cyprus. A father accused of causing the deaths of his two young children after they were left in a vehicle in Xylofagou is seeking permission to travel to Bulgaria to attend their funeral. The Sovereign Base Areas court is scheduled to consider the request on July 30.
Court timetable
During a hearing on Thursday, defence lawyer Michael Theodoulou said the defence intended to apply for bail and permission for his client to attend the funeral. He said he could not yet confirm whether the application would be filed immediately or next week.
Senior Judge Cummings KC, who presided over the hearing by video conference and will oversee the remaining proceedings, set September 22 for the defendant to enter a plea.
By that date, the prosecution is expected to have served all its evidence on the defence. The defendant will be required to plead guilty or not guilty.
If he pleads not guilty, the trial is due to begin on November 30, although the judge said the timetable could be brought forward if both parties requested it.
Bail proceedings
Cummings noted that the rules on the British bases differ from those in England and Wales, where bail applications are generally heard in private. Any bail application listed with the trial proceedings on November 30 would therefore be heard in open court.
The case concerns the deaths of two young children found unresponsive after being left in a parked vehicle in Xylofagou in June. Their father, 30-year-old Bulgarian national Marinos Marinov, was remanded in custody.
At an earlier hearing, the court refused bail, ruling that the proposed sureties were not substantial enough to address the risk that the defendant could abscond before trial.
The next substantive stage is expected to be the plea hearing in September, unless both parties request an earlier timetable.
