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Kent football fan Garry Mann loses his fight against extradition to Portugal

Garry Mann
Garry Mann

A Kent football fan has spoken about the betrayal he feels after losing a long-running battle to avoid being extradited to Portugal for rioting during Euro 2004.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled 52-year old Garry Mann, from Faversham, will have to return to serve his punishment.

Six years ago Mr Mann was sentenced to two years in jail by a Portuguese court.

But when he was deported back to Britain he didn't serve his jail term - and Portugal demanded he was sent back.

Mr Mann has always protested his innocence claiming his trial was unfair.

Judges here who have reviewed the case say he suffered a serious injustice.

Speaking after today's ruling Mr Mann said: "On the way there I walked across London past lots of statues and monuments making a statement of how great this country is, its pride, its fairness. To me that's a joke.

"I'm proud to be English but I'm sad and embarrassed this government and its laws have not stood up for me.

"To me they have betrayed an English citizen. I'm just totally ashamed by the lot of them.

"My family and friends are upset and at the same time angry, they can't believe its happening.

"I'm not a murderer, I'm not a terrorist, this is what the European arrest warrant is meant to be for, but they're using it for someone who walks out of a pub, an English football fan who looks the part.

"It's a total farce, an absolute joke."

Speaking before today's ruling, Mr Mann’s lawyer, Karen Todner, said: “He has found things very, very difficult; it has affected every aspect of his life.

“He was working as a fireman but he lost his job.

“It has been very difficult because all the way through the last few months he has not known what’s going to happen in the next month.”

Jago Russell, from Fair Trials International, said: "He was arrested tried and convicted in the space of 24 hours, which is an incredibly fast trial process.

"He had just five minutes with his lawyer before his trial started, he did not know what he was charged with until he had been convicted and he did not understand what was going on in court."

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