Court delays ruling on paedophile extradition

The High Court in London has reserved judgment on a human rights bid by an Irish paedophile to block his return to the US where he is wanted for allegedly abusing three girls in the 1990s.

Lawyers for Shawn Sullivan, aged 43, who has dual US-Irish nationality, said he could face detention with no hope of release under a controversial US sex offenders’ treatment programme. Nobody on the programme has yet been released, said counsel for Mr Sullivan, who has been described as one of America’s most wanted alleged sex criminals.

Two judges were asked in a day-long hearing by Mr Sullivan to block the British home secretary’s decision in Feb 2011 to order his extradition to Minnesota.

He is also seeking to overturn a decision of Westminster magistrates’ court in Dec 2010 there was no legal reason why extradition should not go ahead.

Mr Sullivan is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl and sexually molesting two 11-year-olds in Minnesota between 1993 and 1994.

He left the US as prosecutors filed charges against him and was later found to be living in Ireland.

While living in Ireland, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two 12-year-old girls and given a suspended sentence. He was arrested in London in June 2010.

His counsel Ben Brandon argued the extradition decision could not stand because of a failure to properly consider that Mr Sullivan was at risk of being subjected to a legal process known as “civil commitment”.

He said this involved people declared “sexually dangerous” to be confined indefinitely for treatment in secure facilities.

Aaron Watkins, for the US government, said: “On the evidence we have, there is a solid basis to say he will not be subject to civil commitment ultimately.”

The judges said they would give their ruling at a future date.