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Murderer who escaped from English prison and fled here to be extradited back to UK
Summary
A 66-year-old man convicted of murder in England in 1977 will be extradited to the United Kingdom following a High Court decision, it was ruled on 2 August 2014. Anthony Craig, who escaped from an English prison and subsequently lived in counties Cork and Leitrim before relocating to south Dublin, was arrested in February 2013 on an extradition warrant. Mr Justice John Edwards determined that Craig's surrender was not prohibited, rejecting arguments raised by his legal team regarding preventative detention and the nature of mandatory life sentences. The judge distinguished Craig's case from previous jurisprudence on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences, finding that UK mandatory life sentences are equivalent to their Irish counterparts. Craig will remain on bail until 8 September to allow his solicitors to review the judgment and consider pursuing an appeal to the Supreme Court. The bail conditions were tightened to require daily signing at Clondalkin Garda Station. Craig, who had served 28 years before his escape, has complied with bail requirements throughout proceedings.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Murderer who escaped from English prison and fled here to be extradited back to UK. Charges or matters: murdering another man in a park in Blackburn on November 3, 1973. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted
When:
- September 8 Adjournment
- February 1977 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 3, 1973 Incident
- February 14, 2013 Incident
- 2014-08-02 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: murdering another man in a park in Blackburn on November 3, 1973 (Proven)
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; He said that he had given very careful consideration to the preventative detention issue raised by Craig's lawyers, but the position was that the mandatory life sentence imposed on him was significantly different to the issue with Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences raised by his counsel. The sentence Craig had imposed on him for murder was a mandatory life sentence, and there were no grounds for distinguishing this from a mandatory life sentence imposed in this country in so far as its legal nature was concerned, the judge said.; He remanded Craig on continuing bail until September 8.
Places mentioned
- English prison
- High Court
- Supreme Court
- local garda station
- on requirement at Clondalkin Garda Station
Topics
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