Court cross-examination in the case of 14-year-old Stylianos

The Nicosia District Court held a hearing regarding the 2019 suicide of 14-year-old Stylianos Konstantinou, focusing on the responsibility of Social Welfare Services (SWS) personnel. Criminal investigator Andreas Andreou testified that a child's suicide attempt constitutes an immediate danger that requires specialized handling rather than standardized criteria. Defense lawyer Andreas Christou highlighted that the Latsia SWS office managed roughly 980 child protection cases and 450 additional reports in 2019, emphasizing severe understaffing and unmanageable workloads. Andreou acknowledged letters sent by the tenth defendant to her superiors, which warned of risks posed by these high caseloads. The defense also questioned a reported suicide attempt in May 2019, specifically disputing whether neck bruising was caused by a firearm, with the investigator clarifying there was no scientific evidence for such a claim. Further testimony included records from a former head of the domestic violence office regarding the need for more time to handle cases properly. The trial is scheduled to resume on June 15 at 11:00.