Irish rapist in US must stay in jail until hearing
Michael Christian Moran appeared in a Boston court on Wednesday when it was decided he will have to stay in jail until the hearing on August 7.
The Carlow man was arrested last week after a tip off from a anonymous member of the public.
He was listed on the FBI’s wanted list and categorised as armed and dangerous.
The State Attorney’s office in America is hopeful Moran will agree to be extradited without contest.
If not gardaí from his home town of Carlow will have to travel to America for the August 7 hearing.
The attorney’s office is trying to get written consent in the next week which will allow him to be extradited immediately.
Detective Garda Frank Stephenson in Carlow town said he is still hopeful Moran will be back on Irish soil within a week of the extradition hearing.
“At the moment if it remains uncontested we would not have to go over there and it would only take about a week to sort out.
“If he does contest it then we will have to fly over to give evidence at the hearing. We are just waiting to hear back from the American side,” he said.
Wednesday’s hearing was part of the American justice system’s process of deciding if an accused can be released on bail. Moran was not released.
He will have to serve a prison sentence in Arbour Hill if he is extradited.
After Moran first fled the jurisdiction in 2001 Mr Justice Carney offered him a suspended sentence if he returned from America.
He did so after reading a Deirdre Purcell book recommended to him by the guilty man’s mother.
Phyllis Moran was appealing on her son’s behalf and said he had only escaped to the US because inmates of Arbour Hill had written a suggestive letter to him.
In 2001 Moran pleaded guilty to rape on the second day of his trial.
He admitted to gagging and dragging a woman off the street in the Blackbog Road area of Carlow Town in 1999. His victim was walking home from a hen-party.
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