'Latvia brawl' pair face retrial

Matthew Neale (left) and David Birkinshaw always denied the charges

Two Derby men cleared of attacking a police officer on a stag holiday in Latvia could have to face a new trial.

David Birkinshaw, 33, and Matthew Neale, 35, stood trial accused of assaulting the officer during a brawl outside a bar in Riga in June 2008.

Both denied the charges and were acquitted in October.

But now the prosecutor and victim's solicitor have appealed and the two men could have to go back to the Baltic state early next year.

Following the incident, both men returned to the UK but were then extradited in August and detained at capital city Riga's Central Prison.

Long sentence

During their time in jail Mr Birkinshaw had to postpone marrying his girlfriend.

The men had known there was the possibility of a prosecution appeal but had expected it not to happen. However their Latvian solicitor has now rung to say the case is continuing.

Mr Neale said: "I am going to try and fight to not go back. I cannot see why this country will let me go back to a country where I have just been in prison for 10 weeks.

"I went through the court system, was told I was not guilty and I had not done anything to this policeman, why should I go back?"

He added: "It's unbelievable. Where will it end? If I go back and am found not guilty again, does that just mean in three months' time I will get another summons to come back to court again?"

If convicted of assault, the pair would face anything from a suspended sentence to seven years in jail.