'Beginning of the end' of ordeal

Extradited Briton Christopher Tappin’s guilty plea over arms dealing charges is “the beginning of the end” of the family’s ordeal, his wife has said today.

Elaine Tappin said her “overwhelming feeling remains one of anxiety and sadness” but her husband’s plea deal with US prosecutors marked “the beginning of the end”.

Tappin changed his plea to one count of aiding and abetting the illegal export of defence articles at a hearing in El Paso, Texas, this afternoon and faces a 33-month sentence when he appears in court again on January 9.