The Nicosia district court ruled on Friday to admit hearsay testimony in the criminal proceedings concerning the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou in 2019, paving the way for evidence from his former preschool teacher to be heard next week.

The court confirmed that Konstantina Papachristodoulou will testify on next Tuesday to provide evidence regarding statements allegedly made to her by the deceased relating to abuse concerns.

The case continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death and potential failures by family members and state services.

The defence had objected to the admission of the teacher’s account, arguing that it contained statements attributed to a person who cannot be cross examined.

Prosecutors argued that the material was admissible under evidential rules, including provisions relating to domestic violence cases and established exceptions to the hearsay rule.

In its ruling, the court stipulated that the law does not impose automatic exclusion of hearsay evidence but rather requires judges to assess such material in context and determine the weight it should be given.

The judgment emphasised that admissibility depends on the overall fairness of the proceedings rather than rigid exclusion rules.

The court also addressed safeguards linked to fair trial rights under article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

It said concerns may arise where hearsay forms the sole or decisive evidence in a case but stressed that this must be assessed in light of the full evidential picture and any compensatory safeguards available to the defence.

The ruling allows the prosecution to proceed with the testimony of Papachristodoulou, whose evidence relates to accounts allegedly given to her by the deceased during his early childhood.

Those accounts are said to concern alleged abuse within his home environment.

The court is also examining whether state services and individuals within the family bear responsibility for failures in safeguarding the child prior to his death.