Court hears father returned with hunting rifle, threatened to “cut off” teacher’s legs, in trial over 14-year-old’s suicide

Local abusedomestic violenceTop Newstrial Court hears father returned with hunting rifle, threatened to “cut off” teacher’s legs, in trial over 14-year-old’s suicide Eparxiako Dikastirio Leukosias Ypothesi Relevant News Court hears father returned with hunting rifle, threatened to “cut off” teacher’s legs, in trial over 14-year-old’s suicide 7 September 2026 Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Cyprus on September 10 7 September 2026 New EDEK leader vows “a great deal of work” on first day in office 7 September 2026 Ernestos Mousas 7 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A Nicosia court heard on Monday that the father of Stylianos Konstantinou, who died by suicide in 2019 at the age of 14, returned to his son’s school with a hunting rifle and threatened to “cut off” his teacher’s legs, after a multidisciplinary session in which he had felt targeted by comments about his parenting. The threat came to light in testimony from the child’s Grade 1 teacher, identified in court only as E.S., whose written statement to the criminal investigator was submitted as an exhibit at Nicosia District Court. The trial, which centres on Stylianos’s alleged living conditions, claims of abusive behaviour by his father, and broader neglect by both parents, resumed today with her evidence. A change in behaviour E.S. told the court that when she first took charge of Stylianos’s class, he was polite and quiet, despite some learning difficulties, to the point that staff had discussed around Christmas whether he even needed a dedicated classroom aide. But things began to change: the boy, then six, started arriving at school unkempt, sad or visibly upset. During that period, she said, Stylianos pushed over desks, injuring other pupils, showed signs of wanting to run away, and did push-ups in class, saying he wanted to be strong “to beat them all.” She said she had formed the impression that Stylianos idolised his father, while at the same time hating him for how he treated his mother. She told the court he had said to her: “My father beats everyone: my mother, the lambs, and me.” The gun incident E.S. described an incident that followed a multidisciplinary session attended by Stylianos’s father. According to her testimony, the father appeared to have taken offence at comments made during the meeting and later returned to the school armed with a hunting rifle, looking for his son’s teacher. She told the court that Father Michalis, a priest with ties to the family who was trying to act as a mediator, went to the school’s management to warn that Stylianos’s father was waiting outside with the weapon and had threatened that “he’ll cut off her legs.” According to the witness, Father Michalis managed to disarm and calm him, and later took him for a coffee. A withdrawn child Much of today’s hearing focused on E.S.’s account that Stylianos seemed like a child who had shut himself off, though she said she believed this was not something he was born with but a result of the difficult life he was living. She said he appeared consumed by his own thoughts about what he was experiencing at home. Asked to clarify what those thoughts were, she said Stylianos discussed them with his classroom aide, with whom he had an excellent relationship. She said he had told both her and the aide that he was worried about the family’s financial situation, and that he compared himself to other children. “He understood that his situation was different,” E.S. told the court, adding that he was also troubled by his parents’ arguments and by scenes he witnessed at the family’s smallholding. He begged his father not to slaughter his pet lamb The court heard again about an incident, previously referenced in the trial, in which the father allegedly slaughtered Stylianos’s pet lamb as an example to the boy. E.S. said Stylianos had told her and his aide the story himself, describing how he had cried and begged his father to stop, apologised, and promised not to misbehave again. His father did not stop, and went ahead with the slaughter. Growing suspicion towards his teacher and aide E.S. said that after a multidisciplinary session in which the parents had been asked not to repeat what was discussed to Stylianos, the boy’s behaviour towards her and his aide changed. She said he began arriving at school angry, confronting them over things he appeared to have been told by his parents were said about him. From that point on, she said, the boy seemed to withdraw further, appearing afraid that he might be removed from his family, a fear she believed had been created by warnings from his parents. 218 charges, 11 defendants Beyond today’s testimony, Stylianos’s father, who operated a livestock unit in Kotsiatis, remains the central figure in the wider case. According to case records, testimony during the investigation into the teenager’s death indicated he allegedly inflicted physical violence against both Stylianos and his wife. The charge sheet contains 218 charges in total, the first section concerning the couple: the father, now 55, and the mother, 48. The father faces charges including common assault and subjecting a person to cruel, inhuman treatment. The mother faces a charge of failing to report violence, under Cyprus’s 2000 Domestic Violence Law. The remaining nine defendants are Social Welfare Services officials, including social workers and coordinators, charged with neglect of official duty; at least two have since retired. The alleged offences span 2008 to 2019. The case continues on Friday, when the witness will be cross-examined by defence lawyers for the accused. 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