The Nicosia District Court on Friday imposed three-year suspended prison sentences on two Social Welfare Services (YKE) officers, in connection with the suicide case of 14-year-old Stylianos Konstantinou in 2019, according to an announcement by the Legal Service.
Moreover, the main proceedings in relation to the remaining defendants, which were also scheduled today before the Nicosia District Court, were postponed after the completion of the sentencing proceedings against the two YKE officers.
The next hearing was set for May 19, at 11:00, during which the cross-examination of criminal investigator Andreas Andreou, who had been appointed together with Modestos Pogiatzis on January 10, 2020 by the then Attorney General Costas Clerides to conduct a criminal investigation into the suicide of the 14-year-old, is expected to continue.
According to the announcement by the Legal Service, the two defendants pleaded guilty to offenses involving "intentional neglect of official duty by a public official."
The first defendant, who was found guilty on three counts, was sentenced to ten months in prison on each count, with the sentences running concurrently, while the second defendant was sentenced to eight months in prison on one count.
As reported by the Legal Service, the Court ordered that the sentences be suspended for a period of three years, taking into account mitigating factors.
According to the Legal Service, the first convicted person was found guilty because, during the period March-December 2011, while he was charged with the duty of protecting and caring for the minor Stylianos and was aware of the mistreatment and neglect he was experiencing, he "deliberately neglected the performance of his duty."
In particular, it is reported that he did not take measures to protect the child, despite knowing that he was "the recipient of physical violence from his father", he did not ensure that protective measures were taken while he knew that his father "slaughtered animals in front of him on the farm he maintained", and he also did not proceed with the removal of the minor from the family home.
In relation to the second convicted person, the announcement states that during the period from July 2014 to September 2016, while also having the duty to ensure the protection and care of the minor, he "demonstrated conscious indifference to the case of Stylianos" and deliberately failed to investigate the family's living conditions and take protective measures.
In its decision, the Court emphasized that the two defendants, as YKE officers, were "charged with the duty of protecting the well-being and care of the minor Stylianos", who due to his age was considered a vulnerable person.
At the same time, it is noted that public officials who hold such positions of trust "must perform their duties with integrity, consistency and conscientiousness", adding that when the necessary protection is not provided, "public trust is shaken, the institutions of the State and the functioning of the State itself are undermined".
The Court also stated that the defendants "not only were indifferent but also deliberately failed to fulfill their duty", emphasizing that "the fate and protection of a vulnerable minor were in their hands and they did not do the right thing".
The case was handled on behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic by Public Prosecutor Elena Constantinou, the announcement by the Legal Service concludes.
Source: KYPE
