Joshua Foster fined 3,000 euros over son's fatal fall from Cyprus hotel window
Joshua Foster, from Essex, has been fined 3,000 euros after his two-year-old son fell to his death from a hotel window in Cyprus, avoiding jail.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A British father, Joshua Foster, 37, from Essex, has been fined 3,000 euros, about £2,500, by a court in Cyprus after his two-year-old son fell to his death from a hotel window. Foster had pleaded guilty to causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act. He was spared prison, and the judge imposed the lowest possible sentence against a maximum prison term of four years. The offence usually applies in Cyprus to car accidents and workplace accidents.
The incident happened on 12 July, the first day of the family's holiday. Foster was staying with his wife, their two children and his in-laws at the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel in Chloraka, near Paphos. He and his son were waiting for a lift on the fourth floor to go down to dinner when the toddler asked for a better look at the water park below. Foster placed the boy on the windowsill, believing the window was closed. The window was open. He lost control of his son, who fell nearly 40 feet.
The child was taken to a local hospital in Paphos. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead. The court heard that Foster had no chance to grab his son as he fell. His lawyer argued that there was a protective glass and that Foster had not realised the window was open. The lawyer called it a mistake in the spur of the moment, without severe negligence towards his child, and said the case should never have gone to court. He also said Foster was a very good dad.
Sentencing was emotional. Foster listened through a translator and tried to remain expressionless, but cried as the judge described what happened. The judge said there was no evidence that he deliberately exposed the child to danger. She said no sentence could outweigh the personal consequences of losing his child. After being fined, Foster hugged his parents, who were also in tears. His lawyer said he would now be able to grieve, because he had been unable to do so properly during the legal process.
The family released a statement saying the consequences of the tragedy will never end. They said their son was deeply loved and would be forever missed, and that his loss is something they carry with them every day. They said they were relieved the process was over. Foster told reporters he was looking forward to going home and being with his wife and daughter. He hoped to return to the UK today or tomorrow once bail conditions were lifted and his passport returned.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Joshua Foster, a British father, was fined and avoided prison after pleading guilty to causing the death of his two-year-old son in a fall from a fourth-floor hotel window in Cyprus. | Not reported by BBC One | |||
| The court heard that Foster placed his son on a windowsill to show him the view and thought the window was closed. | Not reported by BBC One | |||
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Foster received a fine equivalent to £2,500. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The child's family said he was deeply loved and would be missed forever, and that the consequences would never end. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The judge stated that no evidence showed Foster had deliberately put the child in danger. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 treated the case as a short news summary inside a bulletin dominated by other stories. It focused on the sentence and guilty plea, saying Foster avoided prison over the death of his two-year-old son. It gave little courtroom detail and did not carry the family statement or judge's remarks.
- “A British father has avoided a prison sentence for causing the death of his two-year-old son”
- “Joshua Foster was fined 3,000 euros after pleading guilty to causing death through a reckless, rash, or dangerous act.”
- “he placed the boy on a windowsill to show him a view, thinking the window was closed.”
5 covered the story in both its lunchtime and later bulletin, with the later segment giving the fullest treatment among its output. It stressed the family holiday setting, the 40-foot fall and the 3,000 euro fine equal to about £2,500, while also carrying the lawyer's claim that the case should never have gone to court. Its later report focused heavily on Foster's emotional state and his wish to return home.
- “Joshua Foster, who's 37 and from Essex, was at the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel”
- “the judge handed him a €3,000 fine, which is around £2,500”
- “his lawyer said that this case should never have gone to court”
ITV1 covered the sentencing in both lunchtime and evening bulletins with on-the-ground reporting from Paphos. It led on the emotional courtroom scenes, the judge's acknowledgement that no sentence could match Foster's guilt and heartbreak, and the fact that he received the lowest possible sentence. It also carried detail about the family holiday and the family's tribute.
- “the judge today gave him the lowest possible sentence available, a 3,000 euro fine”
- “Joshua Foster's lawyer telling me outside court that Joshua is a very good dad”
- “the consequences of this tragedy will never end”
BBC ONE West gave a relatively detailed round-up, with a correspondent package and the family's statement. It highlighted the judge's finding that there was no evidence Foster deliberately exposed the child to danger and the lawyer's claim that the court accepted the fall was a spur-of-the-moment mistake without severe negligence.
- “no evidence that the defendant deliberately exposed the child to danger”
- “no sentence could outweigh the personal consequences of the loss of his child”
- “The consequences of this tragedy will never end.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.