Nicosia court hears testimony on family conflicts in Stylianos Constantinou case

Nicosia, Cyprus. The court case concerning the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou, who took his own life in 2019, continued on Monday with further testimony before the Nicosia district court.

Nurse describes reports of violence

Mental health services head nurse Kyriaki Ioannou testified that Stylianos’ mother had repeatedly reported violence and daily conflicts but stopped communicating with the services after reconciling with her husband, Stylianos’ father.

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Ioannou had worked with the mother as a social nurse for approximately one year between 2010 and 2011, following a referral by a school psychologist who had been treating Stylianos.

Describing the family situation, Ioannou spoke of “intense conflicts” and problems in the parents’ relationship, including reports that the father had physically abused the mother.

The mother had told her about “daily conflicts” with her husband, some involving physical violence in front of the couple’s children, the witness said.

Separation and reconciliation

Ioannou said that although the mother sought support from the services, she also tried to protect her husband whenever the situation at home improved.

“There was a conflict of feelings,” she said.

The witness also described a two-month period during which the parents were separated and the mother reportedly considered divorce.

According to Ioannou, the mother eventually returned to her husband, saying she did not want to lose him. Conflicts continued after she returned to the family home, but became less frequent.