Tobin wins appeal against extradition

A Dublin man has today won his Supreme Court battle against his extradition to Hungary.

Ciarán Tobin of Offington Drive in Sutton was wanted by the Hungarian authorities to serve a sentence after being convicted of a fatal road accident in which two young children died in April 2000.

Twelve years ago chartered accountant Tobin was speeding in his Volvo outside Budapest when the car mounted the pavement killing a five-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl in a pram.

The 47-year-old was working in Hungary at the time but returned to Ireland prior to his trial.

He was convicted and sentenced in his absence after a request for his extradition failed on the on the basis he had not fled from the country.

However a subsequent change to the law resulted in a fresh extradition battle which Mr Tobin won today by a narrow majority of three to two.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Niall Fennelly noted that the 47-year-old's right not to be surrendered following the first set of extradition proceedings could not be taken away by a change in the law.