The father of the two boys, aged eight and ten, found dead in his car in Xylophagou on the afternoon of June 28 returned to the Dhekelia Court in the British Sovereign Base Areas today, charged with causing death through a reckless and careless act.
The 30-year-old remains in custody.
The CID’s investigation found that the father reportedly did not go straight home after finishing work that day, but went elsewhere instead. It was on this basis that the decision was taken to charge him with the more serious offence.
The hearing was pre-trial in nature and was held by video link rather than with a judge physically present, with a direct connection made to a senior judge in England who will oversee the trial. The court set September 22 as the date charges will formally be read to the father, when he will be asked to enter a plea. Should he plead not guilty, the hearing of the case will begin on September 30.
Father seeks to attend sons’ funeral
The hearing was told the father has changed legal representation and now appears with lawyer Christos Theodoulou. Theodoulou said the father will submit a request to attend his sons’ funeral, noting that the boys’ bodies have not yet been transferred to Bulgaria. The judge is due to announce a decision on July 30 on whether the father will be permitted to travel to Bulgaria.
As previously reported, the two brothers were left unsupervised after the father left for work in Limassol at 4:30am on June 28. His 38-year-old partner left for work shortly afterwards. She was initially arrested but later released unconditionally. The father returned to his flat in Xylophagou after the children were found dead by his partner.
The children’s movements had been recorded by motion-activated CCTV. According to sources close to the investigation, the footage shows the boys playing in the yard at 12:10pm and getting into the car at around 2:30pm. The stepmother found the children unresponsive in the back seat after 5:30pm.
The boys appear to have gained entry to the car, which was parked in the open area of the apartment building where they lived, through an open door at the back. Philenews revealed that expert examination found damage to that door, which had remained unlocked despite the car itself being locked. The children then appear to have become trapped inside the vehicle, with the child safety lock activated.
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