Stylianos Konstantinou suicide: witness says case should have been classified high-risk
A key prosecution witness told the court that social services should have classified the case as high-risk.
Witness: Stylianos case should have been classified high-risk
The case of Stylianos Konstantinou, the 14-year-old who took his own life in September 2019, should have been classified as high-risk by social services, a key prosecution witness told the court on Tuesday. According to Cyprus Mail, Andreas Andreou, a key prosecution witness, was cross-examined by defence counsel.
The accused were employees of social services during the critical period. Andreou was one of two criminal investigators appointed to investigate the suicide.
The trial focuses on whether the teenager suffered domestic violence and/or neglect, whether his mother knew but failed to report it, and whether social workers adequately fulfilled their duties.
Tuesday's hearing returned to the incident in May 2019, when the 14-year-old had attempted suicide — four months before his death. Andreou was being examined by the counsel for defendant number 9, the social worker who took on Stylianos's case after being recruited by social services in November 2018.
The defence argued that the defendant did not have adequate training. Andreou responded that all social workers must comply with the department's rules and regulations.
When directly asked whether, in his opinion, social services should have classified Stylianos's case as high-risk, the witness answered affirmatively. The May 2019 suicide attempt was a decisive incident, he emphasised.
"It was a clear sign that there was a serious problem that required immediate intervention," the witness stated.
However, the files maintained by social workers during that period recorded "suicidal intent" rather than a suicide attempt. Andreou acknowledged that this was their assessment, but disagreed with it.
According to the witness, the criminal investigation revealed that Stylianos had attempted to take his own life with his father's hunting rifle. A simple inspection by social services would have revealed bruising under the boy's chin, where he had placed the weapon. His death at that moment was "prevented at the last moment," according to the witness.
The defence counsel noted that the case highlighted "a system failure," to which the prosecutor objected and asked for clarification of the term "system." The counsel clarified that she meant the system within social services; Andreou agreed.
Subsequently, the witness was examined by the counsel for defendant number 11, also a social worker. The counsel argued that removal of parental custody must be an "option of last resort." Andreou insisted that not enough was done to protect the teenager.
At a previous hearing, the witness had cited the words of Stylianos himself, who had complained that he was beaten with a belt and that his father "beat him like a dog" on the family farm.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
Source: Cyprus Mail