The Paphos District Court has reserved its decision until Friday, October 16, in the case of the 37-year-old British man, who faces a charge of causing the death of his three-year-old son through a reckless, irresponsible, or dangerous act.
Today, Tuesday, the proceedings regarding the sentencing of the 37-year-old defendant were concluded, with the Court reserving its decision after hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and the defense. The decision is expected to be announced on October 16, at 11:00 a.m.
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Today’s proceedings began with the prosecution, represented by Chrysso Perganti, who presented the facts of the case and the relevant allegations to the Court. As noted, these specific allegations were not contested by the 37-year-old’s defense attorney.
Next, defense attorney Alexandros Alexandrou took the floor and presented the facts and criteria which, according to the defense, should be taken into account by the Court when determining the sentence. Mr. Alexandrou also presented specific documents and evidence, asking the Court to take them into account so that his client would receive the lightest possible sentence provided for by law.
The defense’s argument centered on the circumstances under which the tragedy occurred. The defense emphasized that, as it argued, this was a moment of inattention, during which events unfolded in a fraction of a second.
In her presentation of the facts, the representative of the Prosecution, Ms. Chrysou Perganti, stated, among other things, that the defendant, with his written consent, underwent an alcohol and drug test. During the initial test, as reported, a reading of 34 mg of alcohol was recorded. However, according to the prosecution, a subsequent laboratory report showed that at the time of the incident, the 37-year-old had 124 mg of alcohol in his system.
The defense placed particular emphasis on this issue, arguing that the reference to alcohol constitutes part of the evidentiary record, but there was no testimony demonstrating that alcohol consumption affected the defendant’s behavior in that specific way. “There is no testimony that he was unable to communicate or that he was stumbling,” he said.
As he noted, immediately after the incident, his client interacted with dozens of people, including doctors, police officers, and nurses. The defense attorney characterized the relevant alcohol report as an estimate based on a mathematical equation.
A key request from the defense was for the Court to assess the 37-year-old’s degree of culpability and to take into account all of his personal and professional circumstances. Mr. Alexandrou referred to his client’s admission of guilt, his clean criminal record, and his long professional career.
The defense requested that, should the Court determine that a prison sentence must be imposed, it be suspended. He further noted that the tragedy his client is experiencing cannot be overcome by the imposition of a sentence, but is something he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
With the closing arguments and the sentencing hearing concluded, the Court reserved its decision until October 16, and until then, the 37-year-old will remain free, under the same conditions that had been imposed on him.
Source: CNA
