British father returns to Cyprus in Paphos hotel child death case
A British father charged after his three-year-old son died in a fall at a Paphos hotel has returned to Cyprus and surrendered his travel documents.
Paphos, Cyprus. A British father charged in connection with the death of his three-year-old child following a fall at a Paphos hotel has returned to Cyprus and surrendered his travel documents, his lawyer said on Monday.
The defence is awaiting a response from the Attorney-general to its request for the suspension of the criminal prosecution.
Court hearing
Lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou said the case is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, September 17. The father is expected to enter a plea if no decision has been received by then on the request to suspend proceedings.
“If there is no response by the 17th, then we will answer to the charges,” Alexandrou said.
If the father pleads guilty, the case is expected to proceed relatively quickly to sentencing. If he pleads not guilty, the court will set a later trial date.
Travel permission
Paphos district court granted the father permission on August 3 to return to the United Kingdom after he deposited an additional €10,000 cash guarantee.
The defence later submitted its request to the Attorney-general for the criminal proceedings to be suspended.
Investigation
The court has heard that the father was holding and playing with the three-year-old while they waited outside their fourth-floor hotel room.
A window was next to where they were standing, and investigators are examining whether one section had been left open without the father realising it.
Police are investigating whether the child slipped from his father’s arms during play and fell through the opening.
The father, his wife and their five-year-old daughter were on the first day of a holiday with grandparents when the incident occurred.
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