A British man facing negligence charges in the death of his 3-year-old son, who fell from a hotel window in Cyprus, is seeking court permission to travel to the United Kingdom for his child's funeral. His lawyer plans to file a petition next week with the Cyprus court.
The 37-year-old father and his family were on vacation in Paphos when the boy fell from a fourth-floor window earlier this month. The circumstances of the fall remain unclear.
The man was arrested and charged but was released from detention on the condition that he surrender his passport, check in weekly with the police, and post a 20,000-euro ($23,015) bond. The court is expected to rule on the travel petition by August 7.
Lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou, who took over the defense this week, told The Associated Press that he would file the petition on humanitarian grounds. "Right now the only issue before the court is for the petition on this humanitarian aspect of the case to be approved so that he can travel for his son’s funeral," Alexandrou said.
The defendant's wife and 5-year-old son have already returned to the UK. The man's parents were present in court with him.
If the petition is granted, the court case is expected to resume in mid-September after the summer break. The defense requested an adjournment of Friday's proceedings to allow time for the petition to be filed. Alexandrou also stated that he needs more time to review evidence that has not yet been provided by the prosecution.