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Extradition hearing of alleged 'largest facilitator of child porn in the world' opens at High Court
Summary
The High Court has opened the State's case to surrender Eric Eoin Marques, a 30-year-old resident of Mountjoy Square, Dublin, to US authorities. Marques, who holds dual Irish and US citizenship, is alleged to be the owner and administrator of Freedom Hosting and is wanted to face charges of conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography. The State alleges the offences involved images of pre-pubescent children on over a hundred anonymous websites. Marques has been in custody since August 2013 after being refused bail due to flight risk concerns. During the hearing, counsel for the State, Patrick McGrath SC, detailed the proceedings and noted that Marques was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in May. A US official affirmed that the Federal Bureau of Prisons could provide appropriate care for his condition. Simultaneously, Marques is seeking judicial review of the Director of Public Prosecutions' decision not to prosecute him in Ireland. His counsel, Mícheál P O'Higgins SC, argued that extradition would be disproportionate, noting that while he would receive a determinate sentence in Ireland, he would effectively face a life sentence without parole in the United States. The matter was adjourned and continues before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly on Tuesday.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Extradition hearing of alleged 'largest facilitator of child porn in the world' opens at High Court. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- August 2013 Incident
- 2015-06-29 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Outcome: In Ireland, the alleged offences did not amount to a crime so heinous that a person would be imprisoned for the rest of his life – he would receive a determinate sentence – while in the United States, he would effectively receive a life sentence without the possibility for parole, Mr O'Higgins said.
Places mentioned
- High Court
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Mountjoy
- Mountjoy Square
- Dublin's Mater Hospital
- American prison
Topics
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