Britons plead not guilty
Three Britons, accused of causing the death of a teenager in Cyprus, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The Britons are accused of using their rental car to deliberately and repeatedly ram a moped – killing the 17-year-old Cypriot riding it – in the tourist resort of Protaras in the southeast of the island on August 18. Defendants Luke Atkinson, 22, Michael Binnington, 21, and Julian Harrington, 39, the alleged driver of the car, denied charges of engaging in an illegal act and causing the death of high school student Christos Papiris. The youth died instantly when he fell from the motorcycle and hit a lamp post. A second youth was injured. Police have said the incident followed a nightclub brawl involving the Britons and some locals. The two youths who were attacked had not been involved in the fight, they said. The three Britons also face charges of grievous bodily harm for injuries sustained by the second youth. (Reuters)
