Wharrie extradition case adjourned

The High Court has adjourned an extradition request from the UK for 48-year-old English man Perry Wharrie who was jailed for 30 years for his role in a major cocaine smuggling 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 Barkley's Bank at Hemel Hempstead in the UK during which an unarmed off-duty police officer was shot dead.

He received a life sentence for the crime.

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

Today at the High Court Mr Justice Michael Peart adjourned the case remanded Wharrie in custody until mid-October for mention only.

The UK authorities claim that Wharrie was released on licence in April 2005.

Part of the conditions of his release were that he not leave the UK unless he received permission from the authorities and that he maintain regular contact with the authorities.

In February 2007 it is claimed that the authorities were informed that 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 (aged27), a former journalist, who had intervened during an armed robbery of a Securicor van in the town of Hemel Hempstead 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.