Legal delay hits Guerin extradition

Extradition proceedings against an alleged Dublin crime boss accused of murdering the Irish journalist Veronica Guerin opened yesterday, but were immediately challenged in court.

The Irish authorities want to bring John Gilligan back to Dublin and charge him with the murder of Ms Guerin, the possession and importation of drugs, and firearms offences.

Bu the hearing at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south-east London, which was surrounded by armed guards throughout, was adjourned until two weeks tomorrow after a challenge of abuse of process by Gilligan's lawyers.

Ms Guerin, 37, was shot dead at the wheel of her car in Dublin in June last year. Her killing followed a series of newspaper articles exposing the activities of Dublin gangsters and provoked a national outcry and a huge police investigation.

One man, Paul Ward, 32, from Cumlin, Dublin, has already been charged with her murder

Mr Gilligan, 45, of Blanchards Town, Dublin, was in Woolwich Crown Court earlier yesterday to face charges of drug smuggling and possession in Britain after being arrested by Customs and Excise at Heathrow Airport last October.

But Customs and Excise attempted to adjourn the case to allow extradition proceedings to start later in the day at the magistrates' court because of the severity of the allegations in the Republic of Ireland.

As well as the murder offence the Irish authorities are also seeking Mr Gilligan's return on six charges of possession of cannabis with intent to supply, five charges of importing cannabis and six charges of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life. The weapons included a Sten gun, a silenced barrel, one 9mm machine pistol and magazine and five Walther 9mm automatic pistols.

At Woolwich Crown Court Nigel Peters, for the prosecution, told Judge Jeffrey Rucker: "Your honour will see charges include first and foremost murder, the murder of the Irish journalist Veronica Guerin."

He said the trial would not proceed on the basis of public interest, given the murder charge and the spirit of international co-operation.

Mr Gilligan's lawyer, Clare Montgomery QC, objecting to the adjournment of the Crown Court hearing, demanded the judge to order Customs and Excise to offer no evidence and record not guilty verdicts. She said it was unlawful to leave one case unfinished before moving on to another and called for an abuse of process hearing.

Paul Riddle, stipendiary magistrate at Belmarsh Magistrates', ruled that a special abuse of process hearing would take place two weeks tomorrow to decide whether it was unlawful to adjourn one set of proceedings while going ahead with another.

Mr Gilligan was remanded in custody.