A 37-year-old British father charged over the death of his two-year-old son at a Cyprus hotel has formally asked prosecutors to drop the case, with a decision from the island's Attorney General due imminently. The boy, Ruaridh Nairne from Inverness, died after falling 33ft from a fourth-floor window at the King Evelthon Hotel near Paphos on 12 July, after his father placed him on the windowsill believing it was closed. The case has drawn significant attention both because of the tragic circumstances and the unusual step of the father's lawyers making a public plea for the prosecution to be discontinued on humanitarian and public interest grounds.

The father was held on remand for eight days before being charged with causing death by a rash, reckless or dangerous act, an offence carrying a maximum four-year sentence; he denies swinging the boy near the window, as prosecutors allege, saying he briefly set him on the sill with no sign it was open. His lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, argues continuing the case serves no public interest given the family's loss and the needs of the boy's five-year-old sister, while a family source described the process as adding needless suffering. The father, who paid an extra €10,000 bail on top of €20,000 already posted to attend his son's funeral, is due back in Cyprus next week to enter a plea on Thursday and could face extradition proceedings if he fails to appear; local press have criticised his initial detention.