Courts / Dublin / Report
"Whacker" Duffy to be returned to NI for life sentence
Summary
Former Republican paramilitary Declan "Whacker" Duffy, aged 44, is to be extradited back to Northern Ireland to continue serving a life sentence for the 1992 murder of British army sergeant Michael Newman. Duffy had previously been released on license by a Northern Irish parole board in March 2013 after serving part of his life sentence. He was arrested in December 2015 and, in 2018, sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to six years for falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne and assaulting John Roche. The Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland revoked his license on 6 June 2016, and a European Arrest Warrant was issued. His lawyers argued that returning him would amount to "double punishment" and cited the Good Friday Agreement, but Justice Aileen Donnelly rejected these claims and ordered his extradition, noting that a licensee remains subject to the original sentence and its conditions.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Whacker" Duffy to be returned to NI for life sentence. Charges or matters: assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 2013 Incident
- December 5, 2015 Incident
- June 9th, 2015 Incident
- June 6, 2016 Incident
- June 9, 2015 Incident
- January 29, 2018 Incident
- 2019-03-04 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015 (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: Counsel for Duffy, Anthony Hanrahan BL, had submitted to the High Court that his client had already served "what was deemed by the Sentence Review Commissioner to be an appropriate sentence." He said it was an "unusual case", as the offending behaviour was carried out in a separate jurisdiction in which Duffy would be serving his six-year sentence in full, before having to return to Northern Ireland to once again begin his life sentence.
Places mentioned
- Hannover Street
- Special Criminal Court
- High Court
- Garter Lane
Topics
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