Dad fined after son, 2, died in Cyprus hotel fall
Joshua Foster will have to pay 3,000 euro (£2,500), a judge in Paphos rules.
Dad fined after son, 2, died in Cyprus hotel fall
A father whose two-year-old son fell to his death at a five-star hotel in Cyprus has been fined 3,000 euro (£2,500).
Joshua Foster believed the window was shut when he put the boy on a sill to point out the view of a waterpark and "lost control" of him, Paphos District Court previously heard.
The boy plunged nearly 40ft (12.1m) from the fourth floor of the King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort on 12 July, the first day of the family’s holiday in Chlorakas.
Foster, 37, from Essex, admitted causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act and was sentenced on Friday morning.
The auditor, his wife, their two children and his in-laws had arrived in Cyprus in the early hours of the morning on the day of the incident.
They spent the day doing various activities, including going to the pool, before preparing for dinner in the evening.
At around 18:00, Foster, his father-in-law and son headed towards a lift, and his lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, told the court he was in a "good mood" and was playing with his son.
The incident happened on the first day of the family’s holiday at the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort
The court heard that as they neared the lift, the boy spotted a waterpark outside.
It was said that Foster pressed the lift button, placed the child on the windowsill and the "inconceivable" happened before he could react.
Mr Alexandrou told an earlier hearing, held on October 6, that Foster’s life "changed forever" from that moment.
Police were called to reports of a child falling "under unknown circumstances" at about 18:40.
The boy was taken to Paphos General Hospital and later pronounced dead.
In a voluntary statement to police, Foster said that when he placed his son on the windowsill, the boy "fell before he had a chance to grab him".