Cypriot court allows Briton to fly to the UK for the funeral of his son who fell from hotel window

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The lawyer for a British man charged with negligence in the death of his 3-year-old son at a Cyprus hotel said Monday a court has decided to allow his client to join his family for the boy’s funeral back in the United Kingdom.

Lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou said the court lifted all travel restrictions imposed on his client for a month. The order expires Sept. 15 when the 37-year-old man is due back in Cyprus to answer charges against him. If he doesn't return on that date, a European arrest warrant will be issued against him, Alexandrou said.

Court proceedings resume Sept. 16.

The man and his family were reportedly a few days into their vacation in Cyprus’ southwestern resort town of Paphos earlier this month when the boy fell from the hotel’s fourth-floor window.

The circumstances of the fall remain unclear.

The defendant was arrested and charged, but a court released him from detention on condition that he surrender his passport, check in weekly at a police station and post a 20,000-euro ($23,015) bond.

The defendant's wife and other son, aged 5, left for the U.K. last week.

Alexandrou took over the defense last week after the previous attorney withdrew from the case. He said he needs more time to study the evidence, which the prosecution hasn’t turned over to him yet.