British father to be sentenced over three-year-old son’s death

The British father who pleaded guilty to causing the death of his three-year-old son following a fall from a fourth-floor hotel window in Paphos is due to learn his sentence on Friday morning, bringing a tragic case that has unfolded over three months before the courts to a decisive stage. The Paphos district court is scheduled to deliver its decision at 11am, following an emotional hearing last week during which the circumstances of the child’s death were recounted and the defence urged the court to distinguish between the devastating consequences of the accident and the degree of negligence involved. The father, admitted causing death by a rash or negligent act after his son fell from a window at a hotel in Chlorakas on July 12, the first day of the family’s holiday in Cyprus. During the mitigation hearing on October 6, the court heard that the family had spent part of the day by the hotel pool before returning to their rooms to prepare for dinner. As the father, his son and the child’s grandfather made their way towards the lift, the boy wanted to look at the waterpark outside. His father lifted him towards a large window, believing that a glass pane separated them from the outside, but part of the window was open, however, and the child fell. He was taken to Paphos general hospital, where efforts to save his life were unsuccessful. Defence lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou described the incident as a momentary lapse of judgement during an otherwise ordinary family holiday, arguing that his client had not appreciated the danger posed by the open window. “The result is a given. The death of the child is a given. The tragedy is a given,” Alexandrou told the court, urging the judge to assess the father’s conduct rather than allowing the severity of the outcome alone to determine his punishment. Account of last moments of child’s life heard in court The father wept throughout much of the proceedings as the final moments before his son’s death were described. His parents, who have accompanied him during the court proceedings, were also visibly distressed. The prosecution, represented by Chryso Perganti, outlined the agreed facts of the case, including the findings of the police investigation and the results of alcohol testing conducted after the incident. The prosecution did not allege that he had been drunk, while the defence maintained there was no evidence that alcohol had impaired his behaviour or contributed to the accident. The defence has asked for the lightest sentence permitted by law and, should the court consider imprisonment appropriate, for the sentence to be suspended. The offence carries a maximum penalty of four years’ imprisonment, although the court may also impose a lesser penalty, including a fine. Throughout the proceedings, the defence has maintained that the father accepts responsibility for his actions, while arguing that the loss of his son represents a punishment that no court sentence could equal. Speaking outside court following the mitigation hearing, Alexandrou said the tragedy would remain with the family regardless of the outcome. “It is a tragedy which does not end with the imposition of a sentence, however many years,” he said. “It is a sentence he will carry for a lifetime – the loss of his child.”