British kitchen fitter, 38, to finally stand trial over drowning death of holidaymaker 'pushed' from Tenerife booze cruise 17 years ago Garry Walton, 21, fell from boat off Spanish island in November 1996 Darren Sapstead accused of pushing him overboard while drunk Spanish authorities were satisfied at the time that death was accident Sapstead extradited to island in 2005 after judge reviewed evidence But it has taken another ten years for investigators to process case A British kitchen fitter will finally stand trial next week accused of pushing a holidaymaker to his death over the side of a pleasure boat 17 years ago. Garry Walton, 21, drowned after falling from a booze cruise in Tenerife in November 1996. Nearly two decades on, sole suspect Darren Sapstead, from Chelmsford, Essex, has finally been ordered to face a jury accused of killing him. Charged: British kitchen fitter Garry Sapstead (left) will finally stand trial next week accused of pushing Garry Walton (right) to his death over the side of a pleasure boat in Tenerife 17 years ago Sapstead, 38, who claims he is a victim of mistaken identity, faces up to 12 years in jail if convicted of Mr Walton's homicide in a trial starting on Monday. Several British holidaymakers who were with the pair on the cruise are expected to jet to Tenerife to give evidence, including two sisters who told police they saw the apprentice builder thrown into the sea. News of the trial today took the long-standing lawyer of Mr Walton's campaigning parents by surprise. Pedro Ripol, who is now retired, said: 'I spent years trying to get this case to court and had given up hope it would happen after all the setbacks Garry's parents have suffered. 'I'm delighted to hear it's going to trial. I'm flabbergasted I hadn't been told earlier by court officials.' Spanish authorities have faced criticism over their failure to put the case to rest quicker. Garry's heartbroken parents Catherine and Robert buried him thinking he had lost his life by accident. Was he pushed? Garry drowned after falling from a pleasure boat off the coast of Tenerife (above, file picture) after he had been taking part in drinking games Sapstead, a father-of-three who was only extradited to Spain to face questioning nearly ten years after the incident, was yet to become a father when returned to Britain from the holiday immediately after Mr Walton's death. His lawyer said today he had been given permission to return to the UK in 2006 and continue living there while a judicial investigation against his client continued. Sapstead declined to comment ahead of his trial insisting: 'My eldest daughter is doing her GCSEs at the moment. 'She doesn't know anything about this and I don't want to upset her.' Mr Walton, who lived in Leeds for the first 15 years of his life before moving with his family to the village of Tooraneena near Dungarvan, County Waterford, died on November 7, 1996 after falling from a booze cruise on board a boat called Albatros. Spanish police took statements from holidaymakers on board the vessel, but were quoted at the time as saying they were satisfied Mr Walton's death was an accident. In the dark? It is not clear if Mr Walton's relatives know about Monday's trial and plan to travel to Tenerife (pictured) An investigating judge ordered Sapstead's extradition after reviewing case evidence. High Court Judge Lord Justice Kay approved the extradition request in November 2005, saying the facts behind Mr Walton's death were still obscure although it was clear he 'went overboard and drowned' at some point. Sapstead was allowed back to Britain to spend Christmas 2006 with wife Joanne and his children after several weeks in a Spanish jail. He is understood to have agreed to return to the island for Monday's trial voluntarily. Last night, state prosecutors in Spain said they would be accusing Sapstead of wanting to end his alleged victim's life after drunkenly approaching a girl beside him and asking her: 'Shall I throw him overboard?' They will also tell a jury at the start of his four-day trial in the Tenerife capital Santa Cruz that Sapstead threw him a life ring when he saw Mr Walton was in difficulties and tried to jump in the sea to help him before being stopped by other holidaymakers. Both Garry and his alleged killer had been guzzling alcohol from a funnel during several organised booze games on the cruise before the tragedy. Homicide, a charge that does not exist in English law, is a halfway house between manslaughter and the more serious charge of murder which in Spain is a wilful killing which must also be premeditated. 'We won't stop until we discover the truth. We owe it to Garry Robert Sapstead two years after his son's death As well as calling for a 12-year jail sentence, Spanish state prosecutors want Sapstead to compensate his alleged victim's family with €120,000 (£104,000) if he is found guilty. It was not clear last night if Mr Walton's relatives know about Monday's trial and plan to travel to Tenerife. Speaking two years after his son's death, Robert Sapstead said: 'We won't stop until we discover the truth. We owe it to Garry. It only needs one person to speak and the police will reopen the case. Garry was the most gentle loving and honest boy you could meet. 'He'd been looking forward to the holiday for ages, and he rang home to tell us he was having a brilliant time. He said he was going on a boat trip. That trip cost him his life. Sapstead, speaking before he was extradited to Tenerife and warned he faced 18 months in jail on remand, insisted: 'I have nothing to hide and am happy to go to trial. 'But it's totally wrong that I may be in prison for over a year.' His lawyer Carlos Valenciano said: 'My client was given permission to continue residing in the UK after being allowed to return following his extradition to Spain. 'It's taken this long to get to trial because of the amount of time the investigating court has spent processing the case. Mr Sapstead will be flying to Tenerife for his trial.