Convicted men facing extradition

Luke Atkinson at court in Larnaca during his trial

Two men from Essex jailed for three years in their absence over the killing of a man in Cyprus have now been served with European arrest warrants.

A judge will decide if Luke Atkinson, 23, and his cousin Michael Binnington, 22, of Witham, will be extradited.

The pair had been cleared of blame over the death of 17-year-old Christos Papiris in the crash, but an appeal court convicted them without a retrial.

Their uncle is already in prison over the death of the moped rider.

Cyprus' supreme court overturned the acquittal decision and convicted them of conspiracy to manslaughter.

Fair Trials International has said it will oppose any extradition.

Richard Howitt MEP has also said he would fight any extradition order and that he will use the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Labour MEP said he believed the men were victims of a miscarriage of justice.

Christos died in August 2006 when his moped was hit by a car between Ayia Napa and Protaras.

Binnington and Atkinson's uncle, Julian Harrington, was jailed for 15 years after admitting manslaughter following the crash in 2006, but the men were acquitted of conspiracy to commit manslaughter in February last year.