AG rejects bid to halt prosecution of British father over son's fatal fall in Paphos
The attorney-general refused a request to suspend the prosecution of a British father whose young son fell to his death from a Paphos hotel window, his lawyer said.
Cyprus's attorney-general has rejected a request to suspend the prosecution of a British father whose young son died in a fall from a hotel in Paphos, his lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou said, as reported by Cyprus Mail.
The father appeared at Paphos district court on Thursday, a day after what would have been the child's third birthday. According to Alexandrou, the defence filed its request on August 7, citing humanitarian considerations and the ordeal the family has endured since the child's death, with the need for the family to be together, to grieve and to support one another at its centre.
The attorney-general's reply arrived on Wednesday afternoon — the day the boy would have turned three — and ran to just three lines, the lawyer said. A representative of the attorney-general told the court that while the family's tragedy was acknowledged, the Legal Service believed the case should proceed in the public interest. Alexandrou said he was disappointed by the decision.
The father had returned to Cyprus earlier this week with his parents after being allowed to travel to the UK for his son's funeral. His travel documents have again been surrendered.
He is charged with causing death by a rash or negligent act over the death of his son, who fell from a fourth-floor window at a hotel in Chlorakas on July 12, shortly after the family arrived in Cyprus for a holiday. The case returns to Paphos district court on September 22 at 9am, when the father is due to enter a plea.
Asked whether another recent case of a child falling from a sixth-floor building might have influenced the decision, Alexandrou said each case must be examined separately, adding that the circumstances surrounding the alleged offences were very different.
What it means for residents
The decision means the case will continue through the Paphos courts, and the family's stay on the island is set to stretch well beyond a holiday. For residents, it is a reminder that hotel safety and how such tragedies are handled by the Legal Service remain live issues on the island.
- Court schedule: the next hearing is set for September 22 at Paphos district court, so local court lists and travel around the courthouse may be affected that morning.
- Public interest: the Legal Service's stance signals that similar cases involving hotels and child safety are likely to be pursued rather than set aside.
- For families and visitors: it is a prompt to check window guards and balcony safety when staying in hotels, especially with young children.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
