Bases probe fight between soldiers and wedding revellers

BRITISH bases authorities yesterday confirmed that they were investigating an incident in which three squaddies and two Cypriots ended up in hospital.

“There was an incident in the Dhekelia Garrison area in the early hours of Saturday morning. The SBA police are investigating and taking statements from witnesses,” Bases spokesman Mervyn Wynne Jones told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

Although information surrounding the incident is sketchy, it seems the incident happened when a group of locals were returning from a wedding reception in nearby Ormidhia and stopped at the crossroads inside the garrison.

“As a result of the incident three British soldiers were taken to a military medical centre and two Cypriots were taken to Larnaca General hospital for routine check-ups,” said Wynne Jones.

He said there had been no serious injuries and bases police were still trying to ascertain the cause of incident and which party was to blame.

It is understood the bases authorities are treating it as a “low-key bust- up” and have yet to confirm which regiment the soldiers belong to.

Wynne Jones said any arrests would depend on whether there were sufficient grounds to bring charges and any legal proceedings would be the jurisdiction of the bases court.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.