William Joseph O’Connor extradited over Calais murder charge

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

William Joseph O’Connor was ordered surrendered by the High Court on 18 October 2013 over a Calais murder charge. He was extradited to France, where he faced an automatic retrial after being convicted in his absence.

Mr Justice John Edwards said the order had to be made, noting the potential penalty was life imprisonment. The French authorities had sentenced O’Connor in his absence to 30 years for the killing of Jean Jacques Berteloot.

The report said O’Connor was found guilty of stabbing Berteloot during an alleged attempt to steal his car and phone. O’Connor maintained his innocence and believed he was being set up by his co-accused, Barry Finch.

The State said a retrial and possible bail would be guaranteed in France, with two possible appeals to different criminal courts. The proceedings were reported on 18 October 2013.