British father’s sentencing postponed as court awaits document from UK

Sentencing proceedings for the British father who pleaded guilty in connection with the death of his three-year-old son were postponed until Tuesday morning after a supporting document needed by the defence failed to arrive from the UK in time. The case had been scheduled on Monday for mitigation, during which defence lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou was expected to present the circumstances he says should lead the court to impose the minimum possible sentence. Speaking outside court following the adjournment, Alexandrou said the defence had prepared a written mitigation submission supported by a bundle of documents relating to the father’s personal, financial and employment circumstances. However, one document from his place of employment in the UK, concerning his income and work, had not been received. “Unfortunately, because of the time difference and the weekend, it was not possible to obtain a document from his place of work,” Alexandrou said. The defence therefore asked for the proceedings to continue on Tuesday morning so the document could be included in the material placed before the court. Alexandrou explained that the prosecution is expected first to set out the facts of the case orally, after which the defence will submit its written mitigation and make further oral submissions. The mitigation, he said, will not be limited to the father’s social and financial circumstances, but will also address the circumstances surrounding the incident and the degree of culpability the defence says should be attributed to him. The father has pleaded guilty to the charge against him, but Alexandrou stressed that the precise circumstances of the act remain important when the court comes to determine the appropriate sentence. He said the defence and prosecution broadly agree on the facts, but if a material disagreement emerges over circumstances relevant to sentencing, the matter could potentially require a separate hearing for the court to resolve it. “There may still be a possibility that we are led to a mini-hearing,” he said, explaining that this would concern the facts underlying the guilty plea rather than the plea itself. Alexandrou said the defence’s position is that the case concerns an act of negligence and that the degree and nature of that negligence will be central to its mitigation. Asked whether a sentence would be handed down on Tuesday, he said this remained entirely a matter for the court. “We cannot know whether the sentence will be tomorrow,” he said. “Either tomorrow or by the end of the week, we estimate.” The father himself is not expected to address the court during Tuesday’s proceedings. Alexandrou also declined to speculate on the sentence and said the legal team would make a fuller public statement once the proceedings have concluded. The British father’s three-year-old son died after falling from a fourth-floor window at a hotel in Chlorakas in July. The father subsequently pleaded guilty to causing death by a rash or negligent act.