Further testimony heard in Stylianos case

The court case concerning the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou, who took his own life in 2019, continued with further testimony before the Nicosia district court on Monday. In her testimony, mental health services head nurse Kyriaki Ioannou, who had worked with the mother as a social nurse, said the latter had repeatedly reported incidents of violence and daily conflicts but stopped communicating with the services after reconciling with her husband – Stylianos’ father. “There was a conflict of feelings,” Ioannou said. Ioannou worked with the mother for approximately one year between 2010 and 2011, following a referral by a school psychologist who had been treating Stylianos. Related Articles • Defence challenges testimony in Stylianos trial • ‘I will slaughter my father like he slaughters goats’ • Teacher says warnings over Stylianos were reported • Suicide teen said father ‘beats everyone, and my mother, and me’ Describing the situation within Constantinou’s family, she spoke of “intense conflicts” and problems in the parents’ relationship, as well as reports that the father had physically abused the mother. She said that although the mother had sought support from the services, she would also attempt to protect her husband whenever the situation at home improved. The witness said the mother had told her about “daily conflicts” between her and her husband, some of which involved physical violence and took place in front of the couple’s children. During the proceedings, Ioannou also referred to a two-month period during which the parents were separated, with the mother reportedly considering divorce. According to Ioannou, the mother eventually returned to her husband, saying she did not want to lose him. After she returned to the family home, conflicts continued but became less frequent. Referring to the family’s daily living conditions, Ioannou said the mother had told her that the parents would take Stylianos with them to the scrapyard to avoid paying a worker, whose cost was estimated at around €700. During her testimony, Ioannou referred to a document according to which Stylianos was “neglected both emotionally and physically”, while also facing restrictions on his social life. She said the information contained in the document was based on accounts provided by Stylianos’ mother and information from the relevant authorities involved in the case, which were in contact with both the family and the school and exchanged information about Stylianos’ situation. The hearing is scheduled to continue before the Nicosia district court at 11am on Wednesday. The case concerns the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou, with the court examining allegations of neglect involving both his family and state services.