Extradition of company director to UK over £5m tax fraud postponed “on humanitarian grounds”

A construction company director from Roscommon has secured a four-week postponement of his extradition to the United Kingdom on humanitarian grounds. Thomas Joseph O'Connor, aged 49, is wanted in England for his involvement in a £5 million tax fraud. He was sentenced in absentia at Blackfriars Crown Court in London in January 2007 to four and a half years imprisonment. Following conviction, O'Connor failed to attend his sentencing and now faces additional charges of absconding. Arrested on an extradition warrant in 2009, he subsequently lost appeals in both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. At the High Court hearing on Thursday, O'Connor requested postponement to care for his terminally ill brother, who is undergoing palliative care in Roscommon. Medical evidence confirmed O'Connor's involvement in his brother's treatment and hospital visits. Judge Aileen Donnelly granted the application, citing particular closeness between the brothers. O'Connor must reappear on May 5th, with stricter conditions applicable to any further extension request.