Nicosia, Cyprus. A witness told Nicosia district court on Monday that social welfare services should have taken temporary custody of a teenager who died by suicide in 2019. The testimony was given in the case concerning the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou.
Court testimony
Independent criminal investigator Andreou Andreou testified in the case, which concerns alleged ongoing domestic violence by the boy’s father, the mother’s role in reporting the incidents to authorities, and the actions of the social welfare services and police.
In May, two defendants, both welfare officers, pleaded guilty to charges and received suspended prison sentences.
Cross-examination
On Monday, Andreou was cross-examined by the attorney for the third defendant, who is also a social welfare officer.
When asked whether there was direct evidence that the teenager had suffered bodily injuries from violence, Andreou said there was not. He said there were no medical reports to that effect.
Reports reviewed
Andreou said, however, that there had been multiple reports that Stylianos arrived at school with bruises. He said the boy had claimed he was beaten with a belt and that his father would “beat him like a dog” at the family-owned farm.
The social welfare officer on trial had previously been responsible for Stylianos’ file. According to Andreou, the logs he reviewed did not explicitly state that the teenager was in imminent danger.
“I’m not saying that no action whatsoever was taken,” Andreou told the court. “But neither a proper investigation was made, nor the appropriate direct action taken.”