Nicosia court addresses hearsay evidence in the trial regarding the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou

The Nicosia District Court is currently deliberating on the admissibility of hearsay statements attributed to the late 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou within the criminal proceedings regarding his death. During Tuesday's session, the defense challenged specific segments of a written testimony provided by Konstantina Papachristodoulou, the minor's preschool teacher from 2008-2009. While the defense did not object to the testimony in its entirety, they argued that statements from the deceased, who cannot be cross-examined, constitute inadmissible hearsay. Prior to this, the court concluded the cross-examination of criminal investigator Andreas Andreou. Andreou testified that the social welfare services possessed data justifying a high-risk classification for Stylianos following his suicide attempt in May 2019. The defense questioned Andreou regarding potential investigative gaps concerning staff training and workplace conditions within the Social Welfare Services. Andreou rejected claims of negligence, maintaining that the investigation was conducted thoroughly. The court has scheduled a hearing for Friday, where prosecutor Eleni Constantinou will present arguments on the legal admissibility of the contested evidence.