A father whose two-year-old son fell from a fourth floor window at a hotel in Cyprus has been fined €3,000 (£2,500) for causing the death.

Joshua Foster believed the window was shut when he lifted his son onto the sill to show him the view of a waterpark and then lost hold of him, as Paphos District Court had heard earlier.

The toddler dropped nearly 40ft (12.1m) at the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort on 12 July, the opening day of the family holiday in Chlorakas.

Foster, 37, from Essex, pleaded guilty to causing death through a reckless or dangerous act and received his sentence on Friday morning.

He told reporters afterwards: "Thank you for the support. I'm looking forward to going home and being with my wife and daughter."

Foster, an auditor, reached Cyprus hours before the incident with his wife, two children and in-laws.

They took part in various activities and swimming, before preparing for dinner in the evening.

In a voluntary statement to police, Foster said when he placed his son on the windowsill, the boy "fell before he had a chance to grab him".

While Foster had alcohol in his system, it did not form a major part of the case against him and his lawyer confirmed there was no testimony he was drunk.

After the sentencing, Foster's lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, told reporters the case should have "never gone to court".

He said Foster was held in custody for eight days immediately after the incident and had to call his daughter from custody to explain what had happened.

"Within this three months, there was a lost opportunity for this man to grieve as he wanted to, to be with his family," he said.

He described his client as an "incredible father".

"[He is] an exemplary family man with a beautiful family behind him, that support him, that embraces him, that has always been by his side."

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