British driver released from German jail
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II A British truck driver who served eight months in prison in Belgium and Germany for a crime he says he did not commit has finally been released— after being persuaded to plead guilty.
Last week driver Eddie Belfield returned home to Kent from a prison in Germany, ending one of the worst cases of driver ill-treatment within the EU for years. He had been extradited to Germany after being arrested by Belgian police at Zeebrugge in April when his name appeared on a computer list as wanted by German authorities for involvement in a large-scale duty-evasion racket some years before. Although he always denied any involvement he was told he would be released if he pleaded guilty and the case was finally settled without a court appearance.
After months of legal wranglings with courts in Belgium and Germany, his solicitors will now apply to the European Court of Human Rights for compensation.
'The worst thing is I spent all that time in prison in Belgium for nothing,' says Belfield. "My solicitor told me that if I'd been tried in Germany to start with I'd have got a maximum of nine to 12 months' probation."
Belfield's sister-in-law Christine Hope, who campaigned for his release is pleased that he's home but adds:
"I'm not giving up. I'll keep fighting for the rights of drivers like Eddie."