Cyprus frees British jailed for tourist killing

Cyprus has released three British former soldiers jailed for the brutal 1994 rape and killing of a young woman at a popular tourist resort, an official said today.

The men were freed after completing their sentences, Nicosia prison governor Michalis Hadjidemetriou said.

The killing of Danish tour guide Louise Jensen caused widespread outrage and forced British military authorities to restrict troops’ access to tourist resorts on the Mediterranean island.

The last of the three Englishmen, Geoffrey Pernell (aged 36), of Oldbury, West Midlands, was released on Monday after completing his sentence, Hadjidemetriou said.

Alan Ford (aged 37), of Birmingham, and Justin Fowler (aged 38), of Falmouth, walked free on August 8 and August 18, respectively, Hadjidemetriou said. All three have returned to Britain, he said.

The former soldiers – who were discharged after their convictions – were jailed for life in 1996 for kidnapping Jensen outside a nightspot at Ayia Napa and battering her to death with a shovel.

The sentence was reduced on appeal in 1998 to 25 years. Prosecutors said the three had first raped the 23-year-old woman, whose body was found in a shallow grave near the seaside resort.

The men claimed they were too drunk to know what they were doing. At the time, the men were serving with the Royal Greenjackets Regiment at the British sovereign base of Dhekeleia.

Although the three served less than half of their sentence, Cypriot law allows early release for good behaviour, while in 2003 all prisoners received a presidential pardon that cut their terms by a quarter.