Nine British Soldiers Charged After Bar Brawl in Cyprus

Nine British soldiers have been charged following a bar brawl in the Cyprus town of Ayia Napa on Friday. The men had been celebrating what is known as "millionaire's weekend" - they had received their last pay packet before their tour of duty on the island was due to come to an end next month.

Five people - three soldiers and two Greek Cypriots - were injured after tables, chairs and bottles were thrown in a fight in the island's Bedrock Inn. One was reported to have been taken to Larnaca general hospital suffering from internal bleeding and one of the soldiers suffered a fractured skull.

According to CyBC state radio, police said that at least 20 British soldiers, all serving at the Dhekelia base in Cyprus, attacked the owner of the pub and five of his customers. Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, the owner of the Bedrock Inn, told the island's Sunday Mail newspaper: "A friend of mine suffered a broken nose after he was hit with a pair of crutches. He also had to spend three hours in hospital to have 22 stitches to his face."

The soldiers, from 2 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, have been charged with a variety of offenses, including grievous bodily harm which carries a seven-year sentence, and causing malicious damage and disturbing the peace. The soldiers have been confined to barracks. British Forces Cyprus spokesman Dennis Barnes said: "This is the most serious incident we've had for some time and we will ensure these men will appear in court."

He added later: "The army cannot condone any form of violence or destruction to Cypriot property. If [they are] found guilty in a court of law there will be other consequential penalties from the military."

A Ministry of defense spokesman said: "We can confirm there was an incident on Friday night in the Cypriot town of Ayia Napa involving a number of British forces. We can now confirm that nine soldiers serving with 2 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have been charged with a variety of offenses and inquiries into the incident are continuing. The military police continue to work closely with the local police as part of this ongoing investigation."

Some 3,650 UK personnel and civilian workers are based in Cyprus at Dhekelia and the other military bases of RAF Akrotiri and Episkopi and Ayios Nikolaos. Last year two British marines returning from Afghanistan were charged with assaulting a taxi driver after breaking curfew for a night out in Limassol during a Cyprus stopover.

Soldiers are banned from certain areas of Ayia Napa, particularly the bars clustered around the town's square - notorious for debauched behavior by tourists. The Bedrock Inn is in the off-limits area.

There have been several cases involving soldiers serving on the island, the worst of which was the rape and murder of Danish tour guide Louise Jensen in 1994.