An MP is confident two cousins in jail in Cyprus will be back in the UK within six months.

Michael Binnington and Luke Atkinson were extradited to Cyprus on December 1 and the next day the UK Government made a request to the Cypriot Home Office for their return.

The cousins, both 24 and from the Witham area, were backseat passengers in a car which killed a Cypriot moped rider on the island in 2006.

They were originally acquitted of any involvement, but the decision was overturned in January, 2008, and they were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for culpable manslaughter and one year for grievous bodily harm, to run concurrently.

Brooks Newmark, Braintree MP, said he has spoken with Justice Secretary Jack Straw about the case.

He said: “I’m hoping they will be back soon, the worst case scenario is six months and I’m hoping it will be sooner than that.”

Follow brainandwit on Twitter