Nine British soldiers are to go on trial in Cyprus after a mass bar-brawl at the party resort of Ayia Napa.
Five people, three soldiers and two locals, were seriously injured after tables, chairs and bottles flew in the fight at the Bedrock Inn club in the town.
All the soldiers, aged between 19 and 30, are from the 2nd Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and from Birmingham, Manchester, London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
They were celebrating, days before leaving for home following tours of duty in Cyprus and worn-torn Afghanistan and Iraq.
But, as they let off steam, violence erupted with both soldiers and locals needing hospital treatment.
All nine accused have pleaded not guilty to various charges ranging from assaults - carrying jail sentences - to disturbing the peace.
The owner of the bar is also mounting a civil claim for damages, amounting to £4million, after he, customers and the Flintstones-themed bar were targeted during the fighting on February 2nd this year.
Andreas Charalambous, a defence lawyer, is expected to contest whether the soldiers charged with the offences were actually the ones responsible for the trouble.
Around 3,600 UK military personnel are stationed in Cyprus. An estimated three million tourists visit the island each summer, many youngsters heading for Ayia Napa, famed for its hedonistic nightlife.
All nine soldiers will go on trial at the court house in Paralimni, near Ayia Napa, later today.
