British father due in Paphos court over son’s fatal hotel fall

Paphos, Cyprus. A British father charged with causing death by recklessness after his three-year-old son fell from a fourth-floor hotel window in Chlorakas is due before Paphos district court on Thursday.

The 37-year-old returned to Cyprus on Monday after travelling to the United Kingdom for his son’s funeral, while the defence awaits a decision on a request to suspend the prosecution.

Defence request pending

The father is expected to enter a plea on Thursday if the attorney-general has not responded to the defence request to suspend the criminal proceedings.

His lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, said on Monday that the defence was still awaiting a response.

“If there is no response by the 17th, then we will answer to the charges,” Alexandrou said.

Conditions reinstated

The man returned to Cyprus on Monday and surrendered his travel documents, in line with conditions imposed by Paphos district court when he was permitted to travel to the United Kingdom.

He had been granted permission on August 3 to attend his son’s funeral after depositing an additional €10,000 cash guarantee. Previous restrictive measures, including a €20,000 financial guarantee, the surrender of travel documents and weekly reporting to Paphos police, came back into force upon his return.

Investigation into fall

The child died after falling from a fourth-floor window at a hotel in Chlorakas on July 12, the first day of the family’s holiday.

The court has previously heard that the father was holding and playing with the boy while the family waited outside. Investigators are examining whether a section of a nearby window had been left open without the father’s knowledge and whether the child slipped from his arms and fell through the opening.

If the father pleads guilty, proceedings are expected to move towards sentencing. If he pleads not guilty, the court is expected to set a later trial date.