Teenager never given protection he needed, court hears
Social welfare services should have taken custody, at least temporarily, of a teenager who ended up taking his own life in 2019, a witness told Nicosia district court on Monday. Independent criminal investigator Andreou Andreou was testifying in the case concerning the suicide of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou. The case relates to alleged ongoing domestic violence by the boy’s father, the mother’s role in reporting these incidents to authorities, and the role played by th
During a Nicosia district court hearing, independent investigator Andreou Andreou testified that social services failed to adequately protect 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou before his 2019 suicide. Although the teenager frequently arrived at school with bruises and reported severe physical abuse by his father, officials did not remove him from the home. The investigator noted that while some welfare actions were taken, they were insufficient to address the escalating danger. Evidence presented in court revealed that welfare officers were aware of the father bringing a shotgun to the boy's school, yet they failed to report critical incidents to the police as required by their own protocols. Andreou argued that temporary state custody could have potentially saved the boy's life. The defense maintains that removing children from their families was considered a last resort under existing policies at the time.
The case highlights critical systemic failures in child protection services and the legal accountability of officials tasked with safeguarding vulnerable minors from domestic abuse.
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