England fan claims ´witch-hunt´ over Portugal riot

An England football fan sentenced to two years’ jail in Portugal for rioting claimed to be the victim of a “witch-hunt”, as the European Court of Human Rights refused Tuesday to intervene in his case.

Campaigners for Garry Mann, a 52-year-old former fireman, said he could be taken to Portugal any day to start his sentence.

Mann, who argues he was drinking in a bar while other football fans rioted during the Euro 2004 tournament, said the prosecuting authorities in Portugal and England should be “ashamed of their actions”.

“I am proud to be English but sad and embarrassed that this government and its laws have not stood up for me as an English citizen.

“This has been a witch-hunt from beginning to end,” he told a press conference organised by campaign group Fair Trials International.

The group’s chief executive Jago Russell said: “Garry Mann could be on a flight as soon as tomorrow, sent to serve two years in a Portuguese jail after what is widely recognised was a grossly unfair trial.

“It is a travesty of justice that the British courts, the government and now the European Court of Human Rights appear happy to sit back and let this happen.”

A spokesman for the Strasbourg-based court confirmed it had not asked Britain to postpone Mann’s extradition to Portugal.

Mann was tried and convicted within 48 hours of the riot in the Algarve resort of Albufeira, where England and rival fans gathered in between matches.

He argues that CCTV pictures show he was drinking with friends in a bar as fans clashed some distance away.

The Portuguese authorities initially agreed to deport Mann instead of making him serve his sentence, but 18 months ago they used the fast track European extradition warrant system to summon him back.

British courts reluctantly turned down appeals against extradition, with one High Court judge declaring that he had suffered “a serious injustice”.

After Tuesday’s Strasbourg court ruling, Mann’s lawyers said they were making a last-ditch application to the High Court in London to prevent his extradition.

Their 11th-hour legal bid was based on evidence from the Foreign Office not previously heard in court, said Fair Trials International, urging the British government to intervene at the “final hour”.