Court date set for Otley dad in Greek jail hell (From Wharfedale Observer)
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Court date set for Otley dad in Greek jail hell
1:02pm Friday 14th September 2012 in Local news
An MP says one of his constituents currently languishing in a Greek jail will get a chance to put his case forward later this month.
Father-of-one Fran Prenga, 34, from Otley, was arrested in May on suspicion of carrying out armed robberies in Athens in 2004 and 2005, and has been in prison ever since, despite his family protesting his innocence.
But Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland this week revealed Mr Prenga will appear in court on September 24.
His wife, Louise, has regularly flown to Greece in an attempt to prove his innocence, with documents she says show Mr Prenga could not have committed the crimes and is a victim of mistaken identity.
Mr Mulholland said a lot of the circumstances and reasons surrounding Mr Prenga’s detention remain unclear, but it is possible he has been previously tried and convicted in his absence, which could explain why he has yet to be interviewed by police or appeared in court.
Mr Prenga, right, who runs a plumbing and bathroom installation business, was arrested by the Greek authorities after attending a police station to fill in legal documents relating to a possible investment in a restaurant.