Right-to-die activist faces US bail hearing
It was confirmed last night that Reverend George Exoo was being held by US police on an arrest warrant over the alleged assisted suicide of Rosemary Toole Gilhooley.
The 49-year-old Dalkey woman reportedly died after placing a plastic bag over her head and inhaling helium gas through a tube.
Rev Exoo and his associate Thomas McGurrin have publicly admitted being present in a rented house in Donnybrook when Ms Gilhooley took her own life, after several years as a sufferer of anxiety neurosis.
While both men deny playing any active part in her death, they admit providing Ms Gilhooley with instructions on how to commit suicide. Rev Exoo has also admitted receiving at least $2,500 in expenses for flights and hotel accommodation involved in travelling from the US.
It emerged at an inquest that the Department of Justice had sent US authorities an “extradition reminder” to speed up the process of sending Rev Exoo to face criminal proceedings here.
According to US media, files were lodged last Friday in a US District Court in Beckley, West Virgina.
Assisted suicide is a criminal offence in Ireland under the 1993 Criminal Law (Suicide) Act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
A Garda spokeswoman yesterday said: “He is in custody awaiting a bail hearing. He is with American authorities in their jurisdiction and we have to await the result [today]. Due process will have to take place there.”
Rev Exoo told US media immediately after the suicide, in 2002, that he was unaware suicide was a crime in Ireland. He said he had probably attended up to 100 such assisted suicides and that he was a religious minister who ran a group called the Compassionate Chaplaincy.
Gardaí who investigated Ms Gilhooley’s death have scrutinised emails sent between her and the American euthanasist.
Gardaí are also thought to have interviewed US journalists who interviewed Rev Exoo about his activities.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
