Greek prosecutor drops case against Briton - but Cornish man faces tense wait for court agreement

For Immediate Release

Justice charity Fair Trials Abroad and the family of Cornish man Ryan Johnson, 33, are rejoicing following the news that Greek prosecutors have decided to recommend murder charges against him be dropped.

Mr Johnson was arrested in Chania, Crete in March 2006 on suspicion of having murdered his parents, Terry and Josephine, at their home in Almirida.

Fair Trials Abroad Chief Executive Catherine Wolthuizen welcomed the decision as a triumph of common sense over poor policing:

“There was never any motive nor evidence connecting Ryan to the crime. Charges were laid on the flimsiest of pretexts, and appeared to be more about appeasing local fears by finding a quick scapegoat, than finding the real perpetrator.

“When DNA evidence revealed the involvement of an ‘unknown male’ but failed to show any link between Ryan and the crime, any cause to prosecute him evaporated."

Ryan Johnson had been staying with his parents, and woke on the morning of Sunday, 12 March 2006, to discover they had been brutally murdered and the house burgled.

“The subsequent police investigation was characterised by gross incompetence,” said Ms Wolthuizen

“Crucial evidence was lost or destroyed, the police failed to submit a medical report in Ryan’s favour and despite similar burglaries and murders in the same area following his arrest, police did not investigate any other leads.

“However, Ryan is not out of the woods yet. The Crete court must accept the Prosecution’s recommendation that the charges against him be dropped – which will take several months. It may yet decide to subject him to trial, in the face of the recommendation that there is no case for him to answer.

“Until he learns whether he is truly free to mourn his parents in peace, he must endure the tense wait on the island,” concluded Ms Wolthuizen.