Courts / Dublin / Report

Alleged "largest facilitator of child pornography" in the world in "fishing expedition" for records, lawyers submit

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 7 July 2017, objections were raised to a legal bid by Eric Eoin Marques, an Irish man described by the FBI as the world's largest facilitator of child pornography, to halt his extradition to the United States. Marques, 30, is alleged to have owned and administered Freedom Hosting, an anonymous site hosting over a hundred extremely violent child‑pornographic images. He has been in custody since August 2013 and was ordered to surrender in December 2015, a decision he challenged in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, all of which dismissed his appeals. Marques also sought judicial review of the Minister for Justice's refusal to use discretion to stop his extradition, claiming the minister had access to records that were not disclosed. The Minister's counsel argued that discovery was unnecessary and that Marques's request was a fishing expedition.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Alleged "largest facilitator of child pornography" in the world in "fishing expedition" for records, lawyers submit. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• August 2013 Incident
• December 2015 Incident
• 2017-07-07 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report