See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy EIRIAN JANE PROSSER, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 12:10 BST, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 12:18 BST, 16 July 2026
The British father of a two-year-old boy who died after accidentally falling out of a window while on holiday in Cyprus has pleaded for his release from custody.The toddler had been with his father on the fourth floor of a seaside hotel in Chloraka, near Paphos, when he accidentally fell from the fourth floor window on July 12.The little boy was rushed to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead upon arrival.His grief-stricken father was arrested hours later by police on suspicion of ‘causing death through negligence, reckless and dangerous actions' and was later placed in custody for eight days.The case has sparked outrage in Cyprus with local papers calling the decision to place the father in custody ‘ludicrously unreasonable’ for a tragedy that was ‘clearly an accident’.The family are now begging for the 37-year-old father to be released so the man and his wife can together tell their five-year-old daughter about her brother’s death.His lawyer Petros Stavrou has now written to the country’s Police Headquarters demanding his immediate release from the holding cell.Mr Stavrou said in a letter to Assistant Chief of Police Marios Agiotis: ‘The tragedy that has befallen our client is such that any further detention will only aggravate his already severe psychological condition, as well as that of his family.A young British toddler has tragically died in Cyprus after falling off a fourth-floor hotel window while on holiday with his parents. (File image)'In particular his overriding concern is to be released so he may be with his wife to inform their five-year-old daughter of the death of their two-year-old son, to whom they have so far only told that her brother is in hospital.' The lawyer argued that the father was placed in front of Paphos District Court on Monday ‘while suffering from unimaginable psychological trauma and without legal representation’.Due to his ‘psychological condition’ at the time of the court case, where he was overwhelmed with emotion, the father was unable to raise objections to his detention.His lawyer said his mental health is continuing to deteriorate the longer he is held in custody. The man has fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation and all witness statements have now been taken.Mr Stavrou added in the letter: ‘With the utmost respect, the continued detention of our client no longer serves any investigative purpose whatsoever.‘Any aspect of the investigation that he might have been able to influence or interfere with has now been fully completed.’He argued that there is no need to hold the father in custody while the investigation is concluded and that he should be allowed to grieve with his family at this time.In order to eliminate any concerns that the father could be a flight-risk, the lawyer said all travel documents could be handed to authorities until the investigation finishes.Mr Stavrou also said that the father is willing to still attend the police station every day if needed and inform officers of where he is staying.The family were on the first day of their two-week holiday, also with the boy's grandparents, when the accident happened.The Daily Mail has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
