Judge remands alleged child trafficker

A WEST African man, wanted by Dutch police for allegedly trafficking children from Africa to Europe where they are used as prostitutes, has been remanded in custody by the High Court.

Jackson Smith, aka Peter Kwame Sarfo, aged 38, who was initially detained here on foot of a domestic matter, is currently detained at Cloverhill Prison. His extradition is being sought by the Dutch authorities who claim that he is involved in the trafficking of children from Nigeria into a number of western Europe nations.

It is claimed the children are initially brought into the Netherlands and then sent on to other countries such as Italy and Spain where they end up working as prostitutes.

At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Peart agreed to adjourn the extradition proceedings for two weeks and remanded the man in custody to Cloverhill. No application for bail was made on the man’s behalf.

Previously, the High Court heard that following his arrest and caution last week by gardaí, the man denied that he was either Peter Kwame Sarfo or Jackson Smith.

However, the court was told that he subsequently told gardaí: “I am Jackson Smith.”

The man has also claimed that he is from the west African nation of Sierra Leone and not from Ghana.

Mr Justice Peart said yesterday he was satisfied that the person before the court was the person whose arrest was being sought in the European arrest warrant and, on the application of counsel for the State, remanded the man in custody.