By Ralph Barnett

THE MINISTRY of Defence has declined to comment further on speculation that two Royal Marines, who were arrested and charged in Cyprus following an alleged assault on a local taxi driver on Friday, were members of Arbroath-based 45 Commando Group.

The two serviceman, named in Cypriot police reports as Jonathan Hart (22) and Chris Douglas (27), were detained in the village of Germasoyia, near Limassol.

Around 150 British service personnel, including members of 45 Commando, are at the Episkopi military base on Cyprus for what is described by the MoD as a “decompression period” on the island to allow them to adjust to a more relaxed daily routine following active service in Afghanistan.

According to local reports, the 58-year-old taxi driver got involved in an argument with the two servicemen following a disagreement over their fare.

One of the men is said to have grabbed the taxi driver by the neck while the other hit him, fracturing his jaw, and pulled him from his cab.

Reports say that the two men then drove off in the car and then ran off after striking a roadside barrier and a tree.

The two men will appear before a local judge at Limassol District Court in due course and, if convicted, will face serious penalties.

A spokesman for the MoD said yesterday that they were unable to confirm the names released by the Cypriot authorities.

The spokesman said, “We can confirm that RAF police in Cyprus are assisting civilian police with an investigation into an alleged assault of a taxi driver in Limassol, the theft and subsequent crash of his vehicle.

“As a result of the ongoing investigation, a number of personnel due to return to UK remain in Cyprus until RAF police are content they can leave.”

A statement attributed to Cyprus Police spokesman Yiannos Petrides said, “We know there was an argument over payment of the fare and the driver claims he was assaulted when he stopped the car...”