TWO men are looking to rebuild their lives after the trauma of a three-year jail term.

Cousins Michael Binnington, from near Maldon, and Luke Atkinson, of Witham, who believe they were wrongly imprisoned, have been welcomed home by their relieved families.

Following their release, Witham MP Priti Patel said: “It’s important to recognise the real injustice they have suffered.

“It’s great that they’re home. It’s long overdue.

“They just need some breathing space to get on with their lives after what has been such a traumatic situation.”

The pair, both aged in their 20s, were passengers in a car which hit and killed a motorcyclist in Cyprus in 2006.

Initially, Cypriot judges acquitted them, but then decided to jail the pair for culpable manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

The cousins’ families, with the help of Ms Patel and their solicitor Karen Todner, successfully battled for them to serve the rest of their sentences in the UK.

Mr Binnington, a chef, was transferred to Edmunds Hill prison and Mr Atkinson, a technical assistant in the building industry, was sent to Highpoint, both in Suffolk.

The pair, who now both have jobs to go to and used their time in prison to study, have now been released.