Cyprus has released one of three British soldiers jailed for bludgeoning a young Danish woman to death after a drunken binge on the holiday island in 1994, a source close to the case said on Monday.

Allan Ford was one of three British soldiers stationed in Cyprus who was jailed for 25 years for killing Danish tour guide Louise Jensen, 23, in September 1994.

The other two, Justin Fowler and Geoff Pernell, are also due to be released this month. Ford, who is now 38, was released on August 8 and spirited quietly out of the country on a flight back to Britain, according to the source.

Authorities in Cyprus decided to release the three separately to avoid publicity. The soldiers were initially jailed for life, but in 1998 the sentence was reduced on appeal to manslaughter.

The soldiers, stationed on the island with the First Battalion, Royal Greenjackets, were charged with abducting and hacking Jensen to death with the sharp edge of a spade after a night of heavy drinking at a Cypriot holiday resort. (Reuters)