Defence challenges teacher’s testimony in trial over Stylianos Constantinou’s suicide

Nicosia, Cyprus. Defence lawyers on Friday challenged a prosecution witness’s testimony in the trial concerning the suicide of Stylianos Constantinou, describing her conclusion that his father subjected him to physical and psychological abuse as arbitrary.

Teacher questioned over basis for conclusions

Stella Constantinou Allayiotou, a special teacher assigned to Stylianos when he was six and attending pre-school, was cross-examined by lawyers representing his father and another defendant, a social worker. Stylianos died by suicide in 2019, aged 15.

Constantinos Kazantzis, the father’s lawyer, put it to the witness that Stylianos had never told her his father beat him and that her earlier statements to that effect were therefore arbitrary.

Allayiotou acknowledged that the boy had never told her he was being abused in the family home. However, she maintained that her conclusions were valid, citing his overall behaviour and other comments he made.

She said, for example, that Stylianos had told her on more than one occasion that he would kill his father once he “grew up”.

According to her testimony, the boy had said he would “slaughter him [his father] just like his father slaughters the goats”. She said he accompanied the remark with a gesture indicating the slashing of a throat.

Report and recommended examination

The lawyer asked Allayiotou why a report she had filed on Stylianos did not include a psychological diagnosis. She replied that it was solely an education-related report.

The witness also confirmed that she had recommended at the time that the boy be examined by a neurologist to rule out attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She said she did not know whether the examination had taken place.