Murder suspect fighting extradition allowed fresh bail application
A murder suspect seeking bail while he fights his extradition to the North has compared his continued detention in an Irish prison to internment.
Francis Lanigan with a previous address at Pinebrook, Mulhuddart, has been in prison for nearly two years since his arrest at a Dublin gym where he had been working under an assumed name.
Lanigan is wanted in the North over the shooting of John Knocker in a hotel car park in Dungannon, Co Tyrone in 1998.
The 49-year-old was considered a flight risk and refused bail after his arrest on foot of an extradition warrant in January last year.
He had been working under an assumed name at the Carlisle Gym, but the High Court heard gardaí knew his real identity because a detective had covertly carried out DNA testing on a coffee cup at the gym.
Because his case is still ongoing after nearly two years, Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy has agreed to let him make a fresh bail application next Monday ahead of Christmas.
As proceedings wrapped up, Francis Lanigan addressed the judge. He compared his continuing detention to internment and said, "you're sending me back to the country that tortured me."
