Courts / Ireland / Report

UK pair wanted over fatal stabbing argue charges are unclear

Summary

The High Court adjourned surrender proceedings for Liam Porter and Kane Hull, two British men accused of murder or manslaughter in the 2019 fatal stabbing of Ryan Kirkpatrick in Carlisle. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs deferred both cases to February 17, when she hopes to make an order. The defendants, represented by Michael Bowman SC and Tom Horan BL, argued that the UK warrants lacked clarity, specifically contending that a single factual narrative could not support two distinct charges. Mr Bowman further challenged the additional charge against Mr Porter for assisting an offender, alleging he merely left the scene with Mr Hull, and argued this did not meet the threshold for a corresponding offence under Irish law. The State, represented by Ronan Kennedy SC and Tom McGillicuddy BL, maintained that the warrant was clear and that the manslaughter charge was an alternative to murder, which a UK jury might consider. The warrant notes that murder and manslaughter carry a maximum life sentence in the UK, while assisting an offender carries a maximum of 10 years. The court did not conclude the matter, instead adjourning it to allow time for the judge to determine the appropriate order.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: UK pair wanted over fatal stabbing argue charges are unclear. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• September 18 Incident
• September 27 Incident
• September 29 Incident
• February 17 Adjournment
• 2022-02-03 Publication

Why: Two British men wanted over a fatal street stabbing have argued that they should not be surrendered to the UK because of a lack of clarity on the charges they may face. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report