Briton jailed for killing teenager in Cyprus, Richard Holt, Telegraph, 23.2.2007
February 23 2007Telegraph, 23 February 2007
A British tourist has been jailed for 15 years for killing a teenager in Cyprus following a disturbance outside a nightclub.
Julian Harrington, 39, from Witham, Essex, allegedly rammed 17-year-old Cypriot Christos Papiris's motorbike with a rented car in the resort of Protaras last August.
He pleaded guilty to Mr Papiris's manslaughter at a hearing in November and was sentenced this morning.
Prosecutors said the motorcycle, on which Mr Papiris was a passenger, was hit as part of a revenge attack after a Briton was hurt in a fight outside a local nightclub.
Motorcycle rider Marios Demetriou, also 17, was seriously injured in the incident.
Fair Trials Abroad said they were disappointed by the sentence and would be supporting an appeal by Mr Harrington.
The lawyer assisting him, Saima Hirji, said: "We are dismayed at this sentence, which we fear is more about appeasing local antagonism towards the accused than properly reflecting the circumstances of the case.
"We will be assisting Mr Harrington and his family in any way we can with their appeal.
"This was a tragic accident, and Mr Harrington's guilt should have been mitigated by the fact that neither the moped driver nor his passenger had been wearing helmets, which would have greatly reduced their injuries.
"Moreover, Mr Harrington only pleaded guilty to ensure his nephews - who were both passengers in the car - would be acquitted."
Last week Michael Binnington, 21, and Luke Atkinson, 22, also from Witham, were acquitted of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm at a court in Larnaca.
Mr Harrington's fiancee, Maxine Scrivener, also 39, said the whole family, including the couple's 16-year-old daughter Jazmin, were "devastated" by the sentence.
She said the couple had travelled out to Cyprus last August to arrange their wedding when the tragedy happened.
Speaking from Cyprus, she said: "No way has he had a fair trial. The judge did say that he did not use the car as a weapon. It was an accident and he still got 15 years.