EXTRADITION proceedings against a German man accused of murdering a Suffolk student he allegedly met on the internet have been delayed after UK police failed to supply the paperwork needed on time.

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EXTRADITION proceedings against a German man accused of murdering a Suffolk student he allegedly met on the internet have been delayed after UK police failed to supply the paperwork needed on time.

David Heiss was due to appear at a court in Frankfurt for an extradition hearing after he was arrested just outside the city for the murder of 20-year-old Matthew Pyke, originally from Stowmarket, who had been living in Nottingham for the past two years.

But the hearing could not go ahead after Nottinghamshire Police failed to provide the detailed and complex paperwork that was needed in time, a spokeswoman for the force said.

It is still not known whether Heiss, who is accused of stabbing Mr Pyke to death in his flat in Nottingham, will contest the extradition application from the British authorities.

A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said Heiss was questioned by detectives again yesterday and would remain in custody over the weekend.

She said: “I don't know when the extradition hearing is going to be. I am waiting to hear from them (officers in Germany).”

It is understood that if 21-year-old Heiss does not contest the extradition application he could return to the UK in ten days. But if he decides to fight it, the process could take weeks.

Mr Pyke, who ran his own online chat forum dedicated to gaming, was found by his girlfriend Joanna Witton, 20, in the flat they shared in Nottingham city centre last Friday. He had been stabbed several times.

Meanwhile a close friend of Mr Pyke's family paid tribute to a “very kind and caring” young man.

June Miller, 53, who was the partner to Matthew's grandfather Bill Pyke before his death in 2006, said: “I was shocked and upset, because he was always so polite and he was such a lovely lad. He was very kind and caring and was just a nice person.”