A criminal investigator told Nicosia District Court yesterday that a suicide attempt by a child in itself constitutes an ‘indication of immediate risk’, as cross-examination centred on how Social Welfare Services handled information in the case of 14-year-old Stylianos, who died by suicide in September 2019.
During the proceedings, investigator Andreas Andreou focused on the duties and responsibilities of welfare officers, as well as on the management of information concerning both the alleged suicide attempt in May 2019 and the boy’s death later that year. He insisted that such incidents cannot be assessed solely through standardised criteria.
Regarding the alleged May 2019 attempt and reports of bruising under the boy’s chin, Andreou said there was no scientific evidence to support claims that the marks were caused by a gun barrel.
The hearing also examined official documents and evidence, with the defence seeking to demonstrate that there had been no clear briefing or recommendation to supervisors to take protective measures or remove the minor from his environment. Andreou maintained that the responsible coordinator had a duty to be fully aware of the circumstances.
He added that, given Stylianos reportedly did not wish to receive psychological support and his family was not cooperating, it would have been possible to seek a court order for the provision of psychiatric or psychological assistance.
Lawyers for the eighth defendant, a frontline welfare officer since May 2017, argued that following the separation of units dealing with preventive intervention and domestic violence, responsibility for such incidents lay with the specialised unit handling violence cases. The witness confirmed that briefing notes had been submitted but disagreed with the view that all required duties had been fulfilled.
