By Charlie Charalambous
TWO BRITISH tourists caught naked and drunk outside their hotel after a nine-hour drinking binge were yesterday fined a total of £650.
Postal workers Julian Ellis, 28, and Craig Cochrane, 25, both from Ascot in Surrey, pleaded guilty before a Larnaca court to indecent exposure, and insulting and assaulting police officers.
Cochrane was fined £300 and Ellis £350, as he was also charged with malicious damage.
Both changed their previous not guilty pleas after their lawyer managed to get prosecutors to drop more serious counts of assault and resisting arrest.
“We were drinking for nine hours solid from the time we left Gatwick, I can’t remember much about what happened,” Cochrane said afterwards.
Father-of-two Ellis said he hadn’t touched a drop of drink since the incident earlier this month.
“We went skinny dipping after drinking a load of beers and a bottle of gin from the duty free.
“It was a stupid thing to do… but never again.”
The offences took place on the morning of September 7, only several hours after the two postal workers had arrived on the island for a week-long holiday.
Their defence lawyer Nicos Clerides told the court during mitigation that the two tourists started drinking as soon as they got on the plane.
“The major cause of these offences is intoxication. The accused consumed a lot of alcohol on the airplane: they drank 12 beers and seven gin and tonics each.
“When they arrived at the hotel, they continued to drink in large quantities to such an extent that they could not control their behaviour.”
Prosecutor Nicos Demetriou told the court that the two were completely naked when police arrived at the scene.
“They were completely naked and exposed their genitals in public. When informed they were causing an offence the accused told the arresting officers to ‘f**k off’.”
Despite the serious charge of assaulting a police officer, the judge ruled that a custodial sentence was not warranted in this case.
“Their holiday has been destroyed and they face the prospect of losing their jobs; a fine is sufficient punishment under the circumstances,” said Famagusta district court judge Tefkros Economou.
