The Paphos Police are expected to submit today the investigation file concerning the death of a three-year-old boy who died after falling from the fourth floor of a hotel in Chlorakas, according to Paphos Assistant Police Director for Operations and police spokesman Michalis Nicolaou.
Speaking to Politis, Nicolaou said investigators have completed the majority of their inquiries and will seek directions from the Legal Service regarding the next steps.
He added that police are examining the possibility of filing the case before a court immediately, even before the current detention order against the child's 37-year-old father expires next Tuesday.
However, according to information obtained by Politis, the most likely scenario is that the father will be released under conditions.
Father seeks release
Nicolaou said some laboratory test results are still pending.
Meanwhile, the child's father, who remains in custody, has submitted a request for immediate release through his lawyer.
According to a letter disclosed by newspaper Phileleftheros, his lawyer argues that continued detention no longer serves investigative purposes and is further aggravating his psychological condition.
The letter also states that the 37-year-old wishes to be released so that he and his wife can inform their five-year-old daughter about the family tragedy. Until now, they have reportedly told her only that her brother is in hospital.
According to the same letter, the father does not object to the imposition of strict conditions to ensure his appearance before the Paphos District Court.
The incident
The tragedy occurred at around 6pm on Sunday, when the three-year-old boy, who was staying with his parents at a hotel in Paphos district, fell from the fourth floor of the building.
The father is being investigated for:
- Causing death through a reckless, negligent or dangerous act
- Neglect of duty as head of the family
- Neglect of responsibility as a person having care of another individual
According to the facts under investigation, the 37-year-old father and the child's grandfather were waiting for a lift on the fourth floor.
Police allege that the father was holding the child in his arms and playing with him, holding him around the waist and moving him from side to side.
Next to where they were standing was a double window approximately 2.5 to 3 metres long and 1.20 metres high.
During one of those movements, the child allegedly slipped from the father's arms and fell through the opening, suffering fatal injuries.
According to police and the findings of the post-mortem examination carried out at Nicosia General Hospital by forensic pathologists Dr Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, the cause of death was severe cranio-cerebral trauma together with multiple injuries to the body and vital organs caused by the fall from a height.
Hotel bears no responsibility, says hoteliers' association
Meanwhile, Paphos Hoteliers Association president Evripides Loizides said the hotel bears no responsibility for the incident.
Speaking to Politis, Loizides said hotel designs commonly include open windows opposite lifts to provide ventilation and prevent unpleasant odours.
He explained that the location involved a solid wall with a window measuring approximately 2.5 to 3 metres in length and 1.20 metres in height, stressing that the configuration fully complies with applicable legislation. "Everything at the hotel was completely lawful and the tragic incident was an unfortunate moment involving the 37-year-old father," he said.
Loizides added that legislation requires guardrails to have a minimum height of 1.10 metres, while the window in question measured 1.20 metres, making it higher than the required safety standard.
