A High Court judge yesterday granted a Dublin man an order directing his release from four District Court orders for his extradition to the UK.
The orders had been granted to British police in December 1999 but were challenged by Mr Anthony Long (44), of Camac Park, Bluebell, who was said to have absconded from a remand centre in Warrington while on temporary release after earlier receiving a seven-year sentence for firearms offences.
Ordering the man's release from the terms of the extradition orders, Mr Justice Kearns said it was "glaringly obvious" that there was a need for fresh extradition arrangements.
He recalled that, more than 20 years ago, a distinguished High Court judge, Mr Justice Henchy, had said it was then high time for fresh extradition arrangements to be negotiated so that immunity from punishment for crime should not be readily available where a person transferred himself from one jurisdiction to another.
The High Court was told that Mr Long was a passenger in a car stopped by police in Birmingham in November 1992. The driver had a number of guns and ammunition strapped to his body underneath his clothing.
Counsel for Mr Long asked the court, during the course of proceedings challenging the extradition orders, not to take into account police statements of belief that the guns had been acquired for use in Ireland for armed robberies, from which Mr Long was to receive a "commission" by way of reward for helping to acquire the guns in the UK.
In February 1993 Mr Long entered pleas of guilty in Birmingham Crown Court in respect of four offences of having firearms with intent to commit an indictable offence.
The warrants from England for his extradition specified the indictable offence being the acquisition of firearms for the purpose of exporting them (from Britain) without paying duty. But, Mr Justice Kearns said, this did not correspond with any offence under the law of this State. He granted a stay of 21 days on his order pending appeal.