Nicosia, Cyprus. Defence attorneys on Monday cross-examined a nursery schoolteacher who had supervised the class of Stylianos Constantinou, the boy who died by suicide at the age of 14. The Nicosia district court case concerns allegations of abuse and neglect within the family and whether state services responded adequately to warning signs before his death in 2019.
Cross-examination of teacher
The witness had supervised Stylianos’ class during the 2009-2010 school year. In an earlier hearing, she had described how Stylianos once brought a knife to school.
Questions on the mother’s condition and the boy’s behaviour
The attorney for Stylianos’ mother, one of the defendants, submitted that the mother suffers from bipolar disorder and asked the witness whether she had noticed that the boy, then aged five, was experiencing the same.
The attorney then submitted that Stylianos’ aggressive behaviour could have been caused by factors other than his home environment. The teacher responded that this was possible, but said that, in her opinion, the boy’s behaviour was best explained by exposure to domestic violence.
Questions over reporting and response
The witness was then cross-examined by the attorney for another defendant, a social worker. She was asked whether she had reported the boy’s case to her superiors or to a trained psychologist and was challenged over not having taken an interest at an earlier stage.
The teacher replied that she learned of Stylianos’ problems after November 2009 and that she informed a special committee around February or March 2010.
Objection in court
During the exchange, the defence attorney directly told the witness that she had been derelict in her duties. Prosecutors objected, and the judge ordered the remarks to be struck from the record.