Court Orders Adam's Extradition

Liam Adams will be extradited to Northern Ireland following claims that he sexually assaulted his daughter.

Mr Adams is wanted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to 18 alleged offences against his daughter, Aine Tyrell, who has waived her right to anonymity.

He lost his fight against extradition from the Irish Republic at the High Court in Dublin.

Mr Adams now has 15 days to lodge an appeal against the court's ruling before the extradition order takes effect.

The brother of Sinn Fein President and TD Gerry Adams was in the High Court in Dublin last week where a decision was deferred by the judge, who said he wanted further time to make his judgment more "polished".

Mr Adams has denied the charges put to him. He said he did not assault his daughter on numerous occasions between 1977 and 1983.

Both father and daughter were in court last week as Mr Justice John Edwards was expected to rule on whether the extradition should proceed.

The judge refused to give a decision of whether he would rule toward Mr Adam's extradition until he delivered a full ruling.

The Background

It is nearly three years ago that the media alleged the 56-year-old had abused his daughter.

In December 2009, a UTV programme claimed that Liam Adams had sexually abused his daughter for a period spanning about a decade.

During 2009–10 there was a significant amount of controversy concerning allegations of child abuse in the family of Gerry Adams, a senior Irish politician and leader of Sinn Fein. The allegations of abuse are against Gerry's brother and father and not against Gerry Adams himself.

In response to the programme, Gerry urged his brother to turn himself in to the police and he also alleged that his deceased father, Gerry Adams, Sr., had subjected family members to emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued a European Arrest Warrant for Liam Adams' arrest.

Liam Adams presented himself at a Garda Síochána police station in Sligo in December 2009. However they were not able to arrest him as they did not have the necessary European Arrest Warrant. Adams did not wish to hand himself into police in Northern Ireland, citing unfairness.

On the 3 March 2010, the High Court in Dublin endorsed the European arrest warrant, which was issued in Liam Adams' name by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

The following day, 4 March, Adams again handed himself over to the authorities in the Republic. When he was arrested he said, "I just want to say I'm not guilty."

(LB/BMcC)