A commando squadron officer was found guilty on Tuesday for the death of 27-year-old soldier Panayiotis Yiannios, who was critically injured during a helicopter training exercise in June 2022.

Yiannios was taken to the intensive care unit at Nicosia general hospital in critical condition and later died.

He had been intubated and placed in a medically induced coma after suffering brain swelling and spine fractures during the accident.

The soldier had jumped from a helicopter, at a height of about eight metres, as part of a scheduled exercise, landing in the sea in Lara area of Akamas.

He was rescued by a boat, according to the scenario of the exercise, but was then found to be unconscious.

The defendant was responsible for the helicopter drop and was found guilty by the Nicosia military court of causing death due to a reckless or dangerous act.

Head of the court, judge Christodoulos Hadjieftychiou said “the cumulative result suggests that the accused instructed Yiannios to jump into the sea”.

“The defendant’s action created a dangerous situation, because only the captain knew the height of the helicopter,” the judge said.

The judge said “the defendant’s act was reckless, thoughtless and dangerous” and that “the essential cause of death was the order given by the defendant”.

In its ruling, the court said the arguments given by the defence were “unfounded” and that the testimony presented by the prosecution was “reliable”.

The court will convene on June 26 at 10am for sentencing mitigation.