High Court delays decision on fugitive UK sex offender

The High Court has put back for two weeks an application for the extradition of a fugitive UK sex offender who was living in a Co Kildare town for the past seven years.

Yesterday at the High Court Mr Justice Michael Peart was agreed to adjourn proceedings against John Murrell (aged 39), with an address in Athy, Co Kildare.

The court was told that the adjournment, which was on consent, was to allow lawyers study the charges made against Mr Murrell that are contained in the warrant requesting his extradition.

Murrell was arrested late last month, and subsequently remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison. A previous sitting of the High Court heard that he was opposing the extradition application.

Murrell went missing after failing to register with the UK authorities following his early release from prison in September 2000.

In late September he was traced to Athy by gardaí acting on foot of a European Arrest Warrant.

It is understood the authorities were tipped off by locals who recognised Murrell whose case was featured on the BBC's 'Crimewatch' programme and on websites.

Murrell was last heard of in Worcestershire in 2000. West Mercia police had been leading he search.

He failed to report to the probation hostel he was assigned to on his release from prison where he served half his sentence for three counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a nine year old.

He was told he could only see his children under supervision but within weeks of his early release from prison the Murrell family had allegedly disappeared.