The Union of Cyprus Journalists (UCJ) today expressed concern over the conduct of British Sovereign Base Areas judge Carl Gunsley at Dhekelia court on Thursday, July 2, 2026, towards journalists covering the remand hearing of the father of the two children who were found dead in a locked car in Xylophagou.
According to the UCJ’s board, which received reports from member journalists who covered the sensitive court proceedings, the judge’s conduct was particularly offensive, argumentative and arrogant.
The UCJ said Gunsley’s warnings and remarks to journalists about potential criminal consequences for disrespecting or disobeying the court amounted to an unwarranted threat against members of the press.
“Journalism cannot operate under threats. Freedom of expression cannot be restricted by any judicial officer of any court,” the UCJ said.
The UCJ’s board noted that a similar incident had occurred in the recent past. It described such approaches as an anachronism belonging to another era, saying they were inconsistent with the modern spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that should govern relations between judicial authorities and the media. The obstruction of journalistic work is impermissible, regardless of its source, the UCJ said.
The hearing itself concerned the referral to trial of the 30-year-old father of the two brothers, aged 8 and 10, who died after being trapped in a parked car in Xylophagou. The British Bases Court ordered his detention until proceedings begin on July 16. Judge Gunsley rejected a defence application for bail, ruling that the seriousness of the charges and the risk of flight justified continued detention, after finding the defendant did not have sufficient ties to the British Bases. The father faces two charges of causing death by a reckless and rash act.
According to his defence lawyer, Andreana Klaedi, the case will be heard by a senior judge travelling from England specifically for the proceedings.
The case falls under British Bases jurisdiction because the children’s deaths occurred within the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is British sovereign territory governed by its own legislation rather than the laws of the Republic of Cyprus. Offences committed within the Sovereign Base Areas are generally prosecuted before SBA courts, located in Episkopi and Dhekelia, rather than before Cypriot courts.
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