Cyprus Attorney General Rejects Bid to Drop Case of UK Boy's Fatal Fall

The lawyer for a British man charged with negligence in the falling death of his 3-year-old son from a Cyprus hotel window said Thursday his client was disappointed that the attorney general denied a request to dismiss the case on humanitarian grounds.

The 37-year-old defendant, who authorities have not named publicly, appeared in court Thursday in the coastal resort town of Paphos. He was scheduled to enter a plea to a single charge of causing death due to negligent and careless actions. However, Judge Froso Christodoulides granted his request to postpone proceedings until Tuesday.

Lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou expressed surprise that Attorney General George Savvides denied the request to dismiss the case. State prosecutors informed the court that while the attorney general understands the defendant's grief, the case must proceed in the public interest.

The defendant and his family were reportedly a few days into their vacation in Paphos in July when the boy fell from the hotel's fourth-floor window. The circumstances of the fall remain unclear.

Last month, the court had lifted all travel restrictions imposed on the defendant, allowing him to attend his son's funeral and be with his family in the United Kingdom. Alexandrou stated that his client returned to Cyprus a few days ago.

Alexandrou indicated he would consider asking the court to permit his client to travel between Cyprus and the U.K. if he pleads not guilty and proceedings extend beyond the estimated two to three weeks for a guilty plea. He noted that his client's oldest daughter requires his presence.

The lawyer explained that his client faces a maximum prison sentence of four years, which could potentially be served in a U.K. prison, and a minimum sentence of a fine. For the judge to impose a suspended sentence, the client would need to be sentenced to at least three years imprisonment.