Paphos, Cyprus. A prominent criminal lawyer has criticised the continued detention of a British father arrested after the death of his three-year-old son, saying the eight-day remand is unjustified.
The detention order expires on Tuesday, while police await toxicology results before deciding on their next steps.
Police await laboratory results
Police spokesman Vyron Vyronos told the Cyprus Mail that investigators are still waiting for laboratory toxicology results.
The father’s remand order is due to end on Tuesday.
Lawyer challenges remand grounds
Christos Triantafyllides said he had not encountered a similar case in 46 years as a lawyer.
He said the prosecution was making “a major mistake”, arguing that the case was not being investigated as a homicide and could involve either negligence or an accident.
Triantafyllides said the legal grounds normally used to justify lengthy remand detention did not apply. He cited risks of absconding, repeating an offence or cases such as murder as reasons for detention, and said none applied in this case.
Personal tragedy
The lawyer said the father had already experienced an unimaginable personal tragedy.