Chicken thief's arrest ordered

A judge has today ordered the arrest of a Romanian man whose extradition is being sought for stealing a number of chickens and a bicycle in his native country more than a decade ago after he failed to turn up for court.

The Romanian authorities are seeking the surrender of Valentin Stan (30) to serve a three and a half year prison sentence over the theft of the bicycle and chickens in March 1998, when he was 18 years old. The authorities said at least two chickens were consumed.

Today at the High Court Mr Justice Michael Peart, following an application from the State, issued a bench warrant directing the arrest of Mr Stan after being informed that Mr Stan had not attended court as required.

Stan, who had been granted bail earlier this year, was convicted of the offences in Romania 1999 and a sentence of three and a half years was imposed but has not been served.

Stan has been in Ireland since around 2000 and lives with his partner and their two young children.

He has served a jail sentence In Ireland on other charges, including false imprisonment and robbery of a Romanian man.