US prosecutors are to seek a court order allowing an anti-abortion extremist accused of sexual abuse to travel to Ireland to hear evidence from his accuser.
The 16-year-old alleged victim, who has an Irish mother and an American father, has returned to her mother's family in Northern Ireland and is said to be too emotional to return to Florida to give evidence.
Mr John A. Burt, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan who organises demonstrations on behalf of extremists who bomb abortion clinics, is accused of sexually abusing the teenager at a home he ran for troubled girls in Pensacola, Florida.
The girl's father has confirmed to prosecutors that his daughter is in Ireland and he is reluctant to return her to the US because it would not be best for her emotional well-being. The trial is due to begin on December 15th.
However, the assistant state attorney, Mr Herman Massey, confirmed to The Irish Times that he would be seeking an order to "perpetuate" the alleged victim's evidence, thereby allowing her to give videotaped evidence from Northern Ireland.
"I am exploring international treaties and past case law at the moment, but we expect it will take the Justice Department two to six months to set this up," he said.
Under Florida law, a defendant is entitled to be present at the deposition, and their legal representative is entitled to cross-examine the witness.
Mr Burt, who is on legal aid, can claim travel expenses from the Florida state.
Mr Burt's lawyer, Ms Nicole Ferry, confirmed that she and her client would travel to Ireland for the deposition if required.
However, she said that she would be seeking an order to throw out the charges at the pre-trial hearing next Tuesday.
Mr Burt (65) is a well-known abortion extremist with numerous convictions for illegal protests and invasion of abortion clinics.
In 1996 the family of a murdered abortion doctor, David Gunn, won a civil action against Mr Burt for prompting Dr Gunn's killer, Michael Griffin, a volunteer worker at Mr Burt's home for troubled teenagers.