THE BRITON jailed in 2007 for 15 years for the manslaughter of Cypriot teen Christos Papiris is back UK serving the remainder of his term, the Cyprus Mail has learned.
Julian Harrington, 41, was jailed in February 2007 after admitting manslaughter and grievous bodily harm after he set off in pursuit of a moped following a brawl outside a nightclub in Protaras.
Local teenager Christos Papiris, 17, was killed and his best friend Marios Demetriou was seriously injured when a rental car driven by Harrington deliberately rammed their moped at high speed.
Papiris, was killed after being flung from the moped onto a lamppost. Harrington then rammed into the bike a second time, in an attempt to get Demetriou.
It later transpired that Harrington had targeted Papiris’ moped mistakenly, thinking that he had been involved in a fight outside the Boogies nightclub in central Protaras earlier the same night.
The two Cypriots had had no involvement in the nightclub brawl.
A spokesman for the British High Commission told the Cyprus Mail that Harrington had been moved to the UK after an agreement was worked out between Nicosia and London.
“I can confirm the Julian Harrington has been moved to the UK under the terms of a prisoner transfer agreement. He is now in prison.”
The United Kingdom currently has prisoner transfer agreements with 96 countries and territories.
It is understood that Harrington was moved late last month from Nicosia Prison by armed guards to Larnaca airport where he was then accompanied by police to Heathrow.
On his return to the UK he was immediately sent to Wandsworth Prison in south west London, which caters for inmates serving long sentences.
Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who represents Harrington’s Essex constituency, told the Cyprus Mail that the move to Wandsworth was a positive development.
“I am pleased for Julian and his family that he has been returned to the UK and is now able to receive regular visits from his loved ones. Though Julian is back in Britain, Cypriot law still applies to his detention and he will continue to serve out his sentence accordingly,” he said.
Papiris’ father Michalis said yesterday he was not aware of Harringtons transfer back to the UK. He said he did not want to comment on the move.
The news of Harrington’s transfer to the UK comes just weeks after a British judge ruled that two passengers in Harrington’s car at the time of the incident should be extradited to Cyprus to serve a jail term.
Michael Binnington, 23 and Luke Atkinson were initially acquitted by a Nicosia court two-years ago, but that verdict was overturned by the High Court in last year.
The men’s’ legal team had argued that the trial had been unfair but district judge Quentin Purdy disagreed and ruled that the duo should be sent to Cyprus to serve their sentence.
