Updated: 17.30
A fugitive sex offender claims he was denied a fair trial in the UK, and fled to Ireland for his own personal safety after receiving death threats.
Julian Myerscough was arrested in a Dublin hotel after he failed to return to court just before a jury found him guilty of making indecent images of children.
On September 30th last year, Julian Myerscough was nowhere to be found when a jury at Ipswich Crown Court found him guilty of making indecent images of children and of breaching orders in relation to a similar conviction from 2010.
He’d represented himself in court after firing his legal team on Day 2 of his trial, but made a run for it before the verdicts came in – taking a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin where he was arrested at a city centre hotel.
He fought his extradition by arguing he’d been denied a fair trial in the UK. He also raised concerns about his arrest warrant and claimed he only left the country after receiving death threats.
But today, Ms. Justice Aileen Donnelly paved the way for his surrender after rejecting his arguments – describing them as without merit.
A formal order won’t be made until Monday, and he has been remanded in custody until then.
Additional reporting by Frank Greaney
