Doctor receives 18-month suspended sentence for role in death of 10-year-old boy

A doctor was on Friday sentenced to 18 months in prison suspended for three years after being found guilty for his involvement in the death of a 10-year-old boy in 2018.

Larnaca district court ruled that Dr Iraklis Pantelidakis negligently caused the death of Stavros Giorgallis from Klavdia after discharging him from hospital too soon.

She said the court took into account the doctor’s clear criminal record, his age and marital status, and the impact the incident had on his career and personal life, “also considering how deeply he was scarred by this tragic event, which caused him severe depression”.

The court also considered statements by the doctor’s lawyer, who spoke of public humiliation, threats and ridicule directed towards him in the aftermath of the incident, she said.

Regarding the circumstances of the offence, the court considered the risk the doctor incurred when reviewing the child’s X-rays himself without consulting a radiologist, “a common but admittedly bad practice at Larnaca hospital A&E”.

In May 2018, Giorgallis had been taken to the Larnaca hospital A&E with head wounds he suffered after falling during a basketball game at school in Alethriko.

Pantelidakis, who had been on call at A&E, discharged the boy a few hours later, but his mother took him back to hospital later in the day as he continued to have severe headaches.

The boy was transferred by ambulance to Nicosia general hospital, where he died during surgery.