Eric Eoin Marques extradition hearing delayed over child pornography charges

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Eric Eoin Marques’s extradition hearing in Dublin, scheduled for 11 May 2015, was delayed pending evaluation of new evidence regarding his apparent diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. VICE reported the delay, citing Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

The proceedings were reported on 11 May 2015. Marques, a US-born Irish citizen living in Dublin, was arrested in July 2013 on charges of advertising and distributing child pornography.

He had publicly stated that he would plead guilty to all charges. The report said he had not yet been given the opportunity to do so.

According to the report, citing The Irish Times, Marques was denied bail in August 2013 because he was considered a flight risk.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had decided against prosecuting him in Ireland, although state prosecutor Patrick McGrath had no objection to trying him there. Marques was subsequently granted a review of that decision, which the report said had delayed the extradition hearing until 11 May 2015.

His lawyers had indicated that they intended to argue against extradition under Section 15 of Ireland’s Extradition Act. His solicitor argued in a letter that the alleged offences belonged under Irish jurisdiction, saying the only US aspect was undercover agents viewing website content in Maryland, something that could occur wherever internet access was available.

The report described potential maximum sentences of 14 years in Ireland and 100 years in the United States. These were possible penalties, rather than sentences imposed.