Murder victim's mother welcomes extradition move

The heartbroken mother of murder victim Mary Whelan spoke tonight of her yearning for an end to the marathon ordeal which has left the family shattered.

As the authorities prepared for the extradition of Mary’s husband Colin Whelan from Spain, Mrs Marie Gough said: “I cry every day. There is an ache in my heart that will never go away.”

It is understood it will be at a month before fugitive Whelan, 33, is sent back to Ireland to face trial for the February 2001 murder.

He fled the country just months before he was due to face a jury, disappearing after allegedly faking his own death.

Under the European Arrest Warrant system, he will face an initial extradition hearing in Madrid this week.

The Spanish judge can grant Mr Whelan bail or offer him the option of consenting to the extradition.

If Whelan refuses, a main hearing will take place within 21 days.

At her family home in Stamullen, Co Meath, Mrs Gough said she hoped the process of extraditing him back from Spain would go smoothly.

“I know it will be a long tough road but I hope it goes all right. All I want is justice and that is not too much to ask for, is it?,” she said.

A Garda spokesman said the force had issued an extradition request to the Spanish authorities following Whelan’s arrest at the weekend.

“We’ve made the application and he’ll now have to go though the Spanish judicial system,” he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also confirmed it had provided Whelan with assistance through its honorary consul in Palma, Majorca, where he is in custody.

Mrs Gough said she was shocked to learn Whelan was still alive.

“I thought he was dead because it went on for so long. I’m not jumping around with joy – all I want is justice.”

She said the trial would take her family out of the ‘limbo’ it had been in since the death of their daughter and the disappearance of Mr Whelan.

Computer analyst Whelan had been dating the 27-year-old legal secretary for seven years. They were married for six months before she died in March 2001.

Her body was found at the bottom of the stairs at their home in Balbriggan, Co Dublin. A post-mortem revealed she had been strangled.

Mrs Gough said it had been a difficult three and a half years since the death of her only daughter but that she wanted to stay strong for the sake of her five sons and their grandchildren.

Whelan was charged with his wife’s murder in April 2001 but he disappeared while on bail in March 2003 before the trial began.

He was thought to have taken his own life after his Peugeot 206 and a number of personal possessions were found near the sea at Howth’s Head in Co Dublin.

A major sea, land and air search was carried out but his body was never found.

However, police always believed he was still alive and alerted other European police forces.

An Irish holidaymaker in the Puerto Portals resort in Majorca recognised Whelan, who was working at the Squadron Bar under the assumed name Martin Sweeney.

Garfaí were informed and they applied for a European arrest warrant through Interpol.

Whelan was arrested at the bar by Spanish police on Saturday to the surprise of staff, who were unaware of his past.

He initially claimed police had got the wrong man but fingerprint tests established his true identity.

Whelan will be transferred to Madrid to face the extradition hearing.