A British father facing up to four years in prison over the death of his toddler son in Cyprus has had his case adjourned for a further week.
The 37-year-old appeared at Paphos District Court with his parents, a day after what would have been his son’s third birthday. No plea was entered.
Prosecutors told the court: “We recognise the suffering the man and his family are enduring. The state must adhere to the law.”
The father’s lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, requested more time to prepare. He said his client would need to understand “the consequences of a sentence and what a trial will mean” before potentially giving evidence under cross-examination.
“My client’s disappointment is obvious,” Mr Alexandrou told reporters outside the court. “This must be discussed so he understands it, because he will be called to go under cross examination, to testify… I don’t know if he’s in a place to do that.”
He added: “Let us not forget that he’s also a victim of his own so-called ‘carelessness’.”
The man was arrested shortly after his son fell from a fourth-floor window at the five-star King Evelthon Hotel near Paphos on July 12. He is accused of causing death through negligence, reckless and dangerous actions.
The toddler fell about 33ft after his father placed him on a windowsill while waiting for a lift, believing the window was closed. The boy fell backwards and was pronounced dead on arrival at Paphos General Hospital.
The father, who works for one of the Big Four accountancy firms and previously ran a start-up, was initially held on remand without charge for eight days. He was later required to pay £25,750 in bail and barred from leaving Cyprus, although the restriction was temporarily lifted to allow him to bury his son.
His lawyer said the father was “not in a good way” and highlighted the impact of the case on his surviving five-year-old daughter.
“The daughter needs her father, she is calling him and calling him,” he said.
The father’s wife, a 38-year-old health professional, and their daughter returned to the UK at the end of July. Toxicology reports found a very small quantity of alcohol in the father’s blood, equivalent to one or two drinks.
The Cyprus Attorney General, George Savvides, previously rejected an appeal for the prosecution to be dropped on humanitarian grounds. Mr Alexandrou had argued that continuing the case was not in the public interest and would deepen the family’s trauma.
King Evelthon Hotel safety scrutiny
The hotel’s safety record has also come under scrutiny after the toddler became the third British tourist to die there in four years.
Ben Woods, 21, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel pool in July 2022. The following year, six-year-old Ruaridh Nairne, from Inverness, also drowned. Another woman was reportedly killed while swimming at the resort in 2024.
The fourth-floor window involved in the toddler’s death was reportedly still open afterwards. UK health and safety guidance states that hotel windows large enough for children to fall through should be restricted to an opening of no more than 10cm, while Cypriot rules require a ledge at least 1.1 metres high, which the hotel complies with.
The father will remain in Cyprus until the next hearing, which is due to take place next week.
