Courts / Dublin / Report

Ex-INLA man to be extradited on murder charge after long battle

Summary

Francis Lanigan, 53, is to be extradited to Northern Ireland on murder and firearm charges following the Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal against his surrender. The High Court formally lifted the stay on his extradition, clearing the way for his return. Mr. Lanigan is wanted in connection with the alleged 1998 killing of John Knocker in Dungannon, Co Tyrone. He had contested extradition, arguing his life was at risk from paramilitaries. His legal battle spanned multiple High Court judges, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Justice. He also challenged the constitutionality of the European Arrest Warrant Act and filed two Habeas Corpus applications. In 2015, the High Court ordered his surrender, a decision upheld on appeal. Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed his application to refer the case to the ECJ. Mr. Lanigan had been on bail pending the Supreme Court's decision. He was arrested in 2013 under a European Arrest Warrant while working as a barber in Dublin, where he had lived under the alias Ciaran McCrory for 15 years. In an affidavit, he stated he joined the INLA around age 19 and was jailed for membership in the 1980s. He claimed he fled south after an attack in 1998 that resulted in Mr. Knocker's death, disputing the authorities' account of the incident.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Ex-INLA man to be extradited on murder charge after long battle. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• May 31, 1998 Incident
• January 2013 Incident
• May 1998 Incident
• 2019-01-21 Publication

Why: Gardaí were aware Mr Lanigan was living under that name before his arrest because a detective had covertly gone to the gym where he worked, had done a DNA test on a coffee cup and ascertained that the man living as "Ciaran McCrory" was really Mr Lanigan. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report