Cyprus Court Delays Negligence Case Against British Father After Son's Fatal Fall

A court in the coastal resort town of Paphos has postponed proceedings against a British man charged with negligence in the death of his 3-year-old son, who fell from a hotel window last July.

The 37-year-old defendant, who has not been publicly named, appeared in court on Thursday accompanied by his parents. He was expected to enter a plea to a single charge of causing death through negligent and careless actions, but Judge Froso Christodoulides granted a request to adjourn the case until Tuesday.

His lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, said his client was disappointed that Attorney General George Savvides had turned down a request to dismiss the case on humanitarian grounds. State prosecutors told the court that while the attorney general understood the defendant's grief, the matter had to proceed in the public interest.

The family had reportedly been a few days into their holiday in Paphos when the boy fell from the fourth-floor window of their hotel. The circumstances surrounding the fall remain unclear.

Last month, the court lifted all travel restrictions on the defendant so he could attend his son's funeral and be with his family in the United Kingdom. Alexandrou said his client had returned to Cyprus a few days ago.

The lawyer indicated he may seek permission for his client to travel back and forth between the UK and Cyprus if the case proceeds to trial and lasts longer than the estimated two to three weeks that a guilty plea would require. He said the defendant's eldest daughter needs him.

According to Alexandrou, the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of four years, which could be served in a UK prison, and a minimum penalty of a fine. He noted that for a suspended sentence to be imposed, the judge would need to hand down a term of at least three years.