State services are in quandary on how to handle the case of case of the 13 year old boy who allegedly killed his sister in Larnaca in November.
According to Phileleftheros, the boy is currently hospitalised in Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital and will remain there until February.
However, according to the hospital’s child psychiatrists, the boy is not suffering from any type of mental illness which can justify his presence there.
The Welfare Service, the Law Office of the Republic, the Mental Health Services and the police are called to decide on the boy’s future, as Cyprus does not have a juvenile detention centre in which they could send the boy.
Also, there is no legal precedent for the case, as this is the first time in Cyprus that a person under 14 years of age is suspected of such a serious crime. The boy cannot be criminally prosecuted for murder as he is a minor.
Phileleftheros sources have said that one of the options under consideration is to place the child under Welfare Service custody and to transfer him to a flat where he will be under the care of a nurse.
It is believed that this option will provide security to the boy and the chance to grow up in a nurturing environment.
Regarding his education, state services have considered enrolling the child back in school but they have reservations about how he will be treated by his peers, as well as about his own reaction to them.
The state has also considered about sending him to a juvenile detention centre abroad, however this option is less likely to be implemented, Phileleftheros writes.
The newspaper reports that the boy’s father is cooperating with the services.
Another issue that the state will be asked to resolve by February is whether the child will remain under the custody of his father, or if he will be placed under state custody after a court decision.
The boy is suspected of stabbing his 9 year old sister to death during an argument they had on November 6, while they were both alone at home.
Read more:
https://in-cyprus.com/state-to-decide-on-handling-of-13-year-old-who-killed-sister/
