A DATE has been set for an extradition hearing for two cousins fighting against being jailed for a crime they deny committing.

Luke Atkinson and Michael Binnington, both 23, were arrested on Monday July 7 after voluntarily attending a police station in London and appeared before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

They were bailed and will appear before the court again on July 21 to fight their case in what is expected to be an hour-long hearing.

Mr Atkinson's mother Averil said she was just pleased the hearing would be held sooner rather than later.

The men were acquitted early last year of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm after the car they were passengers in collided with a moped in August 2006 in Cyprus, leading to the death of rider Christos Papiris, 17.

But the Cypriot Supreme Court overthrew the acquittals in January this year and sentenced them without retrial to three years' imprisonment for culpable manslaughter and one year for grievous bodily harm, to run concurrently, in April.

Mr Atkinson, from Witham, and Mr Binnington, who lives near Maldon, have always denied any involvement and are now fighting against being forced back to Cyprus to serve the sentences after European arrest warrants were issued and certified.

Their uncle Julian Harrington, who drove the car, is currently serving a 15-year sentence in Cyprus for wilful manslaughter and GBH but has always maintained the incident was a tragic accident.