Serbian 'innocent' of war crimes

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The wife of a UK-based Serbian man arrested for war crimes has insisted her husband is innocent.

Milorad Pejic was arrested last week on a visit to Belgrade, and is accused of involvement in the deaths of more than 200 people in Croatia in 1991.

His wife Loubica Dokic said he could not be guilty because he is a "such a good father... and such a good guy".

Mr Pejic, who holds a British passport, lives with his wife in Corby, Northamptonshire.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of his arrest and we are monitoring the situation."

International warrant

Speaking at their home in Corby through an interpreter, Ms Dokic, 38, said : "He just went back to visit his mum.

"There is no chance of him being guilty of anything because he is such a good father, such a good husband and such a good guy."

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office said Mr Pejic, an ethnic Serb born in Croatia, was suspected of involvement in the killing of 200 Croatians at a pig farm in Ovcara, near Vukovar.

He was arrested on an international arrest warrant at Belgrade airport on 19 March.

Serbian authorities said they had begun investigating Mr Pejic's alleged involvement in the 2003 killings but because he lived in Britain they were unable to arrest him.

More than 1,000 civilians were killed in a three-month siege and bombardment of Vukovar.

Serbian courts later sentenced 14 former militiamen to jail terms of up to 20 years for the killing of at least 200 prisoners of war seized at a Vukovar hospital.

A re-trial was ordered by Serbia's supreme court over alleged irregularities in the proceedings.

In September 2007 two former Yugoslav Army officers were convicted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague over the massacre.