A British father has pleaded guilty over the death of his two-year-old son, who died after falling from a hotel window in Cyprus.
City executive Joshua Foster, 37, from Essex, was arrested hours after his son plunged from a fourth-floor balcony on July 12, on suspicion of causing death by 'a rash, dangerous or reckless act'.
Having appeared at Paphos District Court today, he could now face a maximum sentence of four years in prison. The minimum he could receive is a fine.
Mr Foster, who works as an AI director for KPMG, may be able to serve a suspended sentence in the UK if he is given less than three years.
He reportedly put his son on a windowsill at the five-star King Evelthon Hotel while waiting for a lift believing the window was closed.
To his horror, the boy fell backwards and plunged 33ft. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Paphos General Hospital.
The toddler was the third British tourist to die at the hotel in four years.
Mr Foster was initially held on remand without charge for eight days in what local press described as Cypriot police's 'cruellest act'.
Joshua Foster a 37-year-old KPMG AI director pleaded guilty over the death of his two-year-old son, who died after falling from a hotel window in Cyprus
The toddler was the third British tourist to die at the five-star King Evelthon Hotel near Paphos in four years
Mr Foster placed the toddler on a windowsill at the King Evelthon Hotel, near Paphos, while waiting for the lift not realising the window was open.
Authorities focused their inquiries on him – rather than the hotel where three British guests have now died in four years, which is owned by an influential Cypriot family.
Stuck behind bars, he was forced to tell his five-year-old daughter of her brother’s death over FaceTime. Her and her mother – a 38-year-old health professional – returned home to the UK at the end of July.
Toxicology reports found a very small quantity of alcohol, equivalent to one or two drinks, in the man's blood.
Once he was formally charged, he was forced to pay a total of €30,000 (£25,750) in bail and was banned from leaving the island – though this was temporarily lifted on August 5 to allow him to bury his son.
Of the toddler, a family member told the Daily Mail: ‘He was a truly special, easy-going little boy who brought so much joy to everyone around him.
‘He was deeply adored and his infectious smile, warm cuddles and kind heart are already so deeply missed and always will be.’
Mr Foster's guilty plea today came after he was informed last week on what would have been his son's third birthday that Cyprus attorney general George Savvides had rejected an appeal for the case to be dropped.
His lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou asked for the case to be thrown out on humanitarian grounds, arguing there was no public interest in continuing the prosecution. Any prolonged criminal process, he added, would only deepen the family’s trauma.
Speaking to reporters, he said: 'Last night he decided to plead guilty in order to end this story, to face whatever is going to be the penalty.
'To go back to his family which is the most important thing in his mind, to support, grieve and stand with his family.'
Mr Alexandrou said that before the guilty he had told his client what the procedures in Cyprus were and that a trial would have taken 'many days' and involved 'pictures and evidence' that would have been disturbing for the family.
He said his client was a 'father who found himself in an unfortunate situation', and that there was no intent.
Friends previously told the Daily Mail they were worried about how the family would survive if the legal proceedings continued. One said: 'His main worry is about his daughter and his wife.
'Obviously, he needs to go back to his job as soon as possible. I imagine his employer can’t keep his job open forever…'
Mr Foster has worked at the Big Four accountancy firm KPMG since 2015, after graduating from Loughborough University, where he met his wife.
The couple, who live in Chelmsford, only last month celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.
They have travelled together extensively – including on a seven-month ‘megamoon’ to the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Foster, who has been a keen tennis player since he was young, also used his tech skills to launch a start-up called Sportch in 2021.
It is described as the UK’s ‘number one tennis competition app’, and is used by 7,000 players from 400 clubs across the country.
Early last year he stepped down as chief executive, writing in a blog post: ‘This decision hasn’t been easy, but with two young children and significant commitments elsewhere, I know it’s vital to ensure that my personal bandwidth doesn’t inhibit the growth of Sportch.’
Ruaridh Nairne, six, from Inverness, Scotland, tragically drowned in the hotel's pool in 2023
Ben Woods, 21, from Leigh in Greater Manchester drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel's pool in July 2022
When the Daily Mail visited the King Evelthon Hotel, where the British toddler fell to his death, it found the large fourth-floor window was still open.
UK health and safety guidelines state hotel windows large enough that children can fall through should be restricted to an opening of 4in or less.
But in Cyprus the window must simply be above a ledge at least 3.5ft tall – which King Evelthon complies with.
The resort’s safety record has come under scrutiny after it emerged the child was the third British tourist to die there in four years.
Ben Woods, 21, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, drowned while playing volleyball in the hotel's pool in July 2022.
Only the following year, six-year-old Ruaridh Nairne, from Inverness, also drowned.
And another woman reportedly died while swimming there in 2024.
Mr Foster is set to be sentenced on October 5 at Paphos District Court.