Nine Britons charged with Cyprus pub brawl

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Nine British soldiers stationed in Cyprus were charged on Sunday after a drunken brawl at a popular holiday resort on the island, police said.

The soldiers, who were not identified, were charged with causing grievous bodily harm, material damage and a public disturbance, police said.

The brawl with local Greek Cypriots on Saturday morning caused damage worth an estimated 5,000 euros to a pub in the Ayia Napa resort. Five people were hurt, including a Briton who was kept in hospital for observation.

“The detainees were charged in writing and released,” police said in a statement.

Britain has two military bases on the east Mediterranean island, a British colony until independence in 1960.

The individuals will be summoned to a court at a later date.

Ayia Napa is out of bounds to British soldiers after a rash of drink-fuelled violent incidents. Three British soldiers were arrested and jailed for the brutal death of a Danish woman snatched in the resort in 1994.