A British father has pleaded guilty to causing the death of his two-year-old son after the child fell from a hotel window during a family holiday in Cyprus. Joshua Foster, 37, admitted to causing death by a reckless act at Paphos District Court on September 19. The incident occurred on July 12 at the King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Chlorakas, Paphos, on the first day of their vacation.

Foster, a senior AI director at KPMG from Essex, acknowledged that he placed his son on a windowsill while waiting for a lift, believing the window was closed. The toddler subsequently fell approximately 10 meters (33 feet) from a fourth-floor balcony and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Paphos General Hospital.

During a brief hearing, Foster entered his guilty plea and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5. He faces up to four years in prison. His lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, explained that Foster chose to plead guilty to avoid a lengthy and distressing trial process that would involve confronting extensive evidence of the accident. Alexandrou described the incident as a momentary lapse without intent to cause harm and characterized Foster as a father facing "an unfortunate situation."

Foster was initially detained for eight days following the tragedy and was only released on bail after paying €30,000 (£25,750). He was also temporarily banned from leaving Cyprus, a restriction briefly lifted to allow him to return to the UK to attend his son’s funeral. Foster’s wife, a health professional, and their five-year-old daughter have since returned to the UK.

The boy’s family and friends have described him as a joyful and affectionate child whose loss has caused profound grief. A family member expressed how deeply the toddler was loved and how much he will be missed.

The hotel's safety record has come under increased scrutiny in light of this incident. The toddler’s death marks the third fatality involving British tourists at the King Evelthon Hotel in four years. In 2022, 21-year-old Ben Woods drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel’s pool, and a year later, six-year-old Ruaridh Nairne also drowned at the same location. A further fatality reportedly occurred in 2024. Some reports have raised concerns about safety measures, including claims that lifeguards were slow to respond during Woods’s drowning and that the pool lacked an operating license, a point disputed by hotel management.

Foster’s lawyer indicated that should Foster receive a sentence exceeding three years, he would be ineligible for a suspended sentence and intended to appeal such a ruling. Meanwhile, the Cypriot attorney general, George Savvides, rejected the family's last-ditch appeal to drop the charges on humanitarian grounds shortly before what would have been the young boy’s third birthday.

Neighbors and acquaintances in Essex recall Foster as a hard-working, well-regarded professional and family man. Outside of his auditing career, he has been involved in local tennis, including promoting the sport to children through junior and school competitions. Friends have expressed concern about the impact the ongoing legal proceedings will have on the family’s ability to move forward.