The former nursery school teacher of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou, who died by suicide in September 2019, broke down in tears on Wednesday during lengthy and at times intense cross-examination before the Nicosia district court.

The witness completed her testimony after facing sustained questioning by defence lawyers, who challenged both the credibility of her evidence and her account of disclosures she said Stylianos had made to her while attending nursery during the 2008-2009 school year.

During the hearing, defence lawyers repeatedly referred to photographs taken in Stylianos’ classroom, arguing that they did not support the picture the witness had painted of the child’s condition during his early school years.

The witness was also questioned about the obligations of teachers to report suspected child abuse and why, despite her concerns at the time, no report had been made to the authorities.

Counsel for Stylianos’ father, Constantinos Kazantzis, returned repeatedly to the issue, putting it to the witness that if she believed the child was being subjected to violence, she had a duty to notify the police.

The witness acknowledged that she was in her first year as a teacher at the time and lacked the experience and knowledge she has today.

“If I were faced with the same situation now, I would report it immediately,” she told the court.

Defence lawyers also raised the issue of the interdepartmental procedures manual on domestic violence, arguing that the teacher should have been aware of the relevant provisions. The witness responded that she had not known of the manual at the time.

Questioned about photographs showing Stylianos with his classmates, the defence argued that there was no obvious difference in his appearance or clothing compared with the other children. The witness replied that the photographs had been taken on school picture day and insisted that, in her daily experience of teaching him, he frequently arrived wearing the same clothes, which were often dirty.

“I came here to say what I lived through,” she told the court.

The emotional atmosphere intensified when lawyer Victor Akamas, representing the third defendant, challenged the witness’s claim that Stylianos had told her his father had hit him with a belt.

The teacher broke down in tears.

“I have Stylianos on my mind all day” she said before the court. “I come here, you show me his photographs and tell me that I’m lying. This is very difficult for me.”

Addressing the defence lawyers, she said she had appeared in court to recount what she had personally experienced and remembered from the period when Stylianos was her pupil, rejecting suggestions that she had altered or embellished her account.

Earlier in the proceedings, the defence had also suggested that a meeting between the witness and a representative of the attorney-general’s office before her testimony amounted to coaching.

The witness rejected the allegation, explaining that the meeting had lasted around 15 to 20 minutes and had been limited to explaining court procedures, without discussing the questions she would be asked.

During her examination, the teacher had described Stylianos as a child who frequently appeared neglected during his nursery school years, often wearing the same clothes repeatedly and arriving at school in dirty clothing. She also testified about what she said the child had confided to her regarding his home life.

The hearing will continue on Thursday with testimony from another teacher who taught Stylianos during the following school year, 2009-2010, and is expected to give evidence about her own observations of the boy.

The case before the Nicosia district court concerns the circumstances surrounding the death of Stylianos Constantinou, who died by suicide at the age of 14 in September 2019. The court is examining potential responsibilities within the family as well as possible failings by state services.

Proceedings have focused on allegations of abuse and neglect within the family environment, whether the child’s mother was aware of incidents and failed to report them, and whether officials from the social welfare services adequately assessed and acted on information available to them.