Extradition for Cyprus death crash pair

The two cousins from Essex that were inside a car that hit and killed a teenage boy in Cyprus have been extradited to a Cypriot prison.

Luke Atkinson and Michael Binnington, both from Whitlam, were transported to Heathrow Airport before being flown to Cyprus. There they will serve jail terms for manslaughter. The pair had last week lost their High Court appeal to avoid extradition, with the two men facing a minimum prison sentence of 6 months in Nicosia before any chance of a return to the UK is possible. Their lawyer, Karen Todner, hopes their safety is guaranteed on the island as there had been a great deal of media hype and anger surrounding the decision. Todner also expressed surprise at the decision of the High Court not to become involved in the case.

Binnington and Atkinson were inside a car driven by Julian Harrington when it hit the moped of 17-year-old Christos Papiris in 2006. Harrington is currently serving a 15 year prison sentence after admitting to the charges of manslaughter.

The pair was initially acquitted in February 2007 by a Cypriot Court but this verdict was overturned by a higher court in 2008, after the pair had returned to Britain. The two men were sentenced in their absence to 3 years prison, which the Supreme Court recently refused their appeal.

The pair bade a tearful farewell to friends and family as they left Belgravia police station en route to Heathrow Airport where they were placed into the custody of Cypriot officials.