A dad who admitted causing the death of his two-year-old son at a hotel in Cyprus said he is ‘looking forward to going home’ after he was spared jail today.
Joshua Foster had placed the child on a windowsill to show him the view of a waterpark, not realising the window was open, Paphos District Court previously heard.
The toddler fell nearly 40ft to his death from the fourth-floor window.
The 37-year-old, from Essex, pleaded guilty to causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act and was fined £2,500 at the same court on Friday.
After the 25-minute hearing, Foster hugged his lawyer before embracing his parents.
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The father-of-two, a director at accountancy giant KPMG, had faced a maximum four-year jail sentence, officials previously said.
He told reporters: ‘Thank you for the support. I’m looking forward to going home and being with my wife and daughter.’
The boy fell from the fourth floor of the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Chlorakas on July 12, the first day of the family’s holiday.
The court previously heard that Foster, his wife, two children and in-laws had arrived in Cyprus in the early hours of the morning on the date of the incident.
After carrying out various activities, including visiting the pool, the family returned to their rooms to get ready to go out for dinner.
At around 6pm, Foster, his father-in-law and son walked towards the lift, and his lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou told the court that the defendant was in a ‘good mood’ and was playing with his son.
The court was told that as they approached the lift, the boy noticed a waterpark outside.
It was said that Foster pushed the lift button, placed the child on the windowsill, the boy looked out, and the ‘inconceivable’ unfolded before Foster had a chance to react.
Mr Alexandrou told the hearing, which took place on October 6, that Foster’s life ‘changed forever’ from that moment.
It was heard that Foster had not realised that the section of the window was open, and that he thought there was protective glass.
Prosecutor Chryso Pergandi said that at around 6.40pm, police received reports that a child had fallen from the fourth floor of the beachfront hotel under unknown circumstances.
The boy was taken to Paphos General Hospital where, despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was 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’.
After the incident, Foster was taken to Paphos General Hospital, and a blood sample to detect drugs and alcohol was taken.
It was said that during the time of the incident – by this point around six hours earlier – the alcohol concentration in his blood was an estimated 124mg.
The alcohol consumption did not form a significant part of the case against the defendant, and his lawyer said there was no testimony that he was drunk.
The lawyer told the court that Foster has no previous convictions and his remorse ‘is clear’.
He said he was held in custody for eight days immediately after the incident, adding that while grieving his child he had to call his daughter from custody to explain what had happened.
The court heard the window was 2.85 metres (9.3ft) wide and 1.2 metres (3.9ft) high.
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