High Court adjourns request to extradite Wharrie

THE High Court adjourned an extradition request by the British authorities for 48-year-old Englishman Perry Wharrie, who was jailed for his role in a €400 million cocaine operation in Co Cork.

London-born Perry Brian Wharrie, with an address at Pyrles Lane, Loughton, Essex, is being sought in relation to the 1988 armed robbery of a Securicor van at Barclays Bank at Hemel Hempstead in Britain during which a police officer was shot dead. He received a life sentence for the crime.

Earlier this month Wharrie, along with Martin Wanden, aged 45, and Joe Daly, aged 41, received lengthy jail sentences for their involvement in an operation to smuggle €400m worth of cocaine which was found in Dunlough bay, Mizen Head, on July 2, 2007.

Yesterday at the High Court, Mr Justice Michael Peart remanded Wharrie in custody until mid-October.

The British authorities claim Wharrie was released by British authorities on licence in April 2005. Part of the conditions of his release were that he would not leave Britain unless he received permission from the authorities and that he maintain regular contact with the authorities.

In February 2007 it is claimed the authorities were informed Wharrie left his home address in Essex and did not leave a forwarding address. Wharrie along with two others were convicted in connection with the shooting dead of an off-duty police officer PC Frank Mason, 27, a former journalist, who had intervened during an armed robbery of a Securicor van on April 14, 1988.

During a struggle with the robbers a single shot was fired by another party which killed PC Mason. In 1989 Wharrie was given a life sentence for the officer’s murder, as well as receiving a number of concurrent sentences for robbery and the firearms offences.