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Extradition hearing of alleged "largest facilitator of child porn in the world" adjourned after Asperger's diagnosis

Summary

The High Court has adjourned the extradition hearing of Eric Eoin Marques, an Irishman alleged to be the owner and administrator of the anonymous hosting site Freedom Hosting. Marques, a 28-year-old resident of Mountjoy Square in central Dublin, is wanted by US authorities to face charges relating to conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography, as well as advertising and distributing such material. He has been in custody since his arrest in August 2013 after being refused bail due to flight risk concerns. Counsel for the respondent, Michael P O'Higgins SC, informed the court that Marques had been assessed by psychiatrist Patricia Casey and diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly criticized the failure to file written submissions prior to the hearing, describing the situation as "entirely unsatisfactory" and unfair to the court. She noted that the newly admitted affidavits would require time for review. Consequently, the matter was adjourned. Ms Justice Donnelly remanded Marques in custody until June 29th and scheduled the matter for mention on June 16th. The court also noted that the DPP had previously decided not to prosecute Marques in Ireland, a decision he sought to challenge via judicial review, which was initially refused but later granted leave by the Supreme Court in November 2014.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Extradition hearing of alleged "largest facilitator of child porn in the world" adjourned after Asperger's diagnosis. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• August 2013 Incident
• March 9th 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 9th Other
• June 29th Adjournment
• November 2014 Adjournment
• June 16th Adjournment
• 2015-05-11 Publication

Why: Mr O' Higgins explained that the failure was due to an oversight. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

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Read the original CNI report