A two-year-old boy fell to his death from the fourth floor of a hotel in Cyprus after his father placed him on a windowsill, not realising it was open, a court has heard.

Joshua Foster, 37, "lost control" of the toddler after he put him on the window ledge to show him the view of a waterpark on the first day of their family holiday in Cyprus, believing there was protective glass, Paphos District Court heard on Tuesday.

The boy fell nearly 40ft from the fourth floor of the five-star King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Chlorakas on 12 July.

The father, an auditor from Essex, had pleaded guilty to the charge of causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act in September.

The facts of the case were outlined during a one-hour hearing at the same court on Tuesday.

Foster, his wife, two children and in-laws arrived in Cyprus in the early hours of that morning, according to a translation of court proceedings.

During the day, the family had carried out various activities, including visiting the pool, and went back to their rooms to get ready for dinner that evening. Foster's father-in-law said he, Foster and his grandchild had left to eat at around 6pm.

Foster was in a "good mood" as he walked towards the lift, his lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou told the court. He "was focused on entertaining his child while they were on holiday".

Mr Alexandrou said he was playing with his son and enjoying "a pleasant, joyous moment of their life while on vacation" when his son noticed the waterpark, and Foster placed him on the windowsill, not realising that section of the window was open.

It was then that the "inconceivable" unfolded and the boy fell from the window, a moment that will "haunt him for the rest of his life".

"From that moment, the man's life changed forever," his lawyer added.

At around 6.40pm, police received reports that a child had fallen from the fourth floor of the beachfront hotel under unknown circumstances, prosecutor Chryso Pergandi said.

The boy was pronounced dead at Paphos General Hospital, despite efforts to resuscitate him.

Foster gave a voluntary statement to police, in which he said he placed his son on the windowsill while waiting for the lift.

He was taken to Paphos General Hospital following the incident to test whether drugs and alcohol were in his system. Tests estimated Foster had an alcohol concentration of 124mg in his blood at the time, the court was told.

The court heard the window was 2.85 metres (9.3ft) in width and 1.2 metres (3.9ft) in height.

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Mr Alexandrou said that Foster has experienced the "severe consequences of his actions".

He added: "This will not end with two, three years of prison. This is a punishment he and his family will bear for the rest of their lives."

Foster sat in the wooden dock wearing a light blue shirt and quietly wept as the facts of the case were read out. He was assisted by a translator during the hearing.

He will be sentenced on 16 October.