MP backs petition demanding alleged killers of estate agent are tried

A Conservative MP has backed a petition calling for the alleged killers of an estate agent to be handed over to authorities in southern Cyprus to stand trial. 

In August we reported that Kent estate agent George Low, 22 - who worked at Acorn - had been stabbled to death on holiday in the Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa.

He is believed to have suffered fatal wounds to his neck after being attacked on the street as he walked back to his hotel in the early hours; a friend with him was also knifed in the back by two attackers, but his injuries were less serious. 

One report at the time said Low had intervened on behalf of an English tourist allegedly being harassed by two men earlier in the evening.

However, two men who reportedly confessed to killing Low remain held in northern Cyprus, having fled over the border from the south - one of the two has been released while the other remains in detention for trespassing into the north. 

This is despite the fact that both are wanted in the south to stand trial for the murder. 

Now Gareth Johnson, Tory MP for Dartford, has called on Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene with the authorities on Cyprus to ensure the suspects are handed over for trial. 

“Natural justice demands that people shouldn’t be able to simply walk away from custody when accused of murder yet northern Cyprus has allowed this to happen” says the MP, who has also raised the matter with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Meanwhile Johnson has tweeted a link to a petition on the website Change.org which reads:

“In August 2016, George Low and his friend Ben were attacked while on holiday in Cyprus. George was killed and Ben seriously injured. The two attackers then fled to the unrecognised state of the TRNC and were arrested. Up to now Turkey has refused to hand them over to stand trial.

“The aim of this petition is to urge the UK government to exert pressure on Turkey to hand over the two men accused, so as to stand trial for the murder and attempted murder of the two British citizens in Cyprus. As of now, both suspects were put on trial in the TRNC for illegal trespassing into a military zone. One is already free and the other will be in less than a year. After this they will both be free to live their lives with no consequences for the crimes they committed in Cyprus.”