A FORMER VET who is wanted to face multiple charges of sexual activity with animals and of having extreme pornographic material has appeared before the High Court this afternoon on foot of an extradition warrant.

Oliver Lown (35), with an address at Main Road, Kesgrave, Suffolk is wanted by authorities in the United Kingdom to face 12 offences, which also include making indecent images of children.

The warrant states that 1,219 extreme pornographic images, of which 1,067 are unique, were recovered from the hard drive of Mr Lown’s laptop as well as 3,512 extreme pornographic videos, of which 3,511 are unique.

Other images recovered include 66 category A indecent images of which 43 are unique, 36 category B indecent images of which 26 are unique and 33 category C indecent images of which 23 are unique.

The warrant also states that Mr Lown is charged with offences including sexual penetration per vagina/anus by a person with a living animal, making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images portraying an act of intercourse /oral sex with a dead /alive animal.

Mr Lown was arrested by detectives from the garda’s extradition unit yesterday and taken to Letterkenny Garda Station following the endorsement of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by the police in Suffolk.

The former vet appeared before Mr Justice Paul Burns in the High Court today wearing a face mask, an orange jacket and trousers.

Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan of the Garda Extradition Unit told Aoife Carroll BL, for the State, that he was on duty yesterday in Kilmacrenan in Co Donegal and called to an address at Gortnaskea near Letterkenny at 6.37pm, where he arrested Mr Lown on foot of the warrant and cautioned him.

Detective Sergeant Kirwan said he introduced himself to Mr Lown and showed him his ID card. He said that Mr Lown agreed that his name was Oliver Lown and that one of the aliases he used was Ollie Fraser Henderson, while his place of birth was in Ipswich in the UK.

The detective said he showed Mr Lown a photograph which he agreed was him.

Detective Sergeant Kirwan said he informed Mr Lown that he had an EAW for his arrest and showed him a copy of the original warrant, which had been endorsed by the High Court for execution.

The detective said he also informed Mr Lown of his right to consent to his surrender to the issuing state, namely the UK and gave him a copy of the EAW.

Outlining the offences facing Mr Lown, Detective Sergeant Kirwan said the warrant relates to 12 offences relating to images found on a PC laptop on April 4, 2019 in Kesgrave in Suffolk.

The detective said he read the precis [summary] of offences contained in the warrant to the respondent and asked him whether he knew what they were about, which Mr Lown indicated he did.

Mr Lown was then conveyed to Letterkenny Garda Station.

Detective Sergeant Kirwan said he was satisfied that the person named on the warrant was the person he arrested. He told Kieran Kelly BL, for the respondent, that the warrant stated that Mr Lown seemed to be in breach of his bail in the UK.

After Detective Sergeant Kirwan gave evidence of Mr Lown’s arrest, Mr Justice Burns said he was satisfied the person before him was the person to whom the warrant related.

The judge informed Mr Lown of his rights and told him that he is entitled to voluntarily surrender himself to the UK authorities between now and the hearing date.

Mr Justice Burns fixed February 26 as the date for the full hearing of the extradition case.

He remanded Mr Lown in custody until that date, when an application for bail is expected to be made.

The warrant states that PC Harvey accompanied by probation officer Chris Royal attended a house on Main Street, Kesgrave, Suffolk in the UK at 10.10am on April 4, 2019. They were informed by the occupants that their son, Mr Lown, lived in the annexe above their garage with another man.

The warrant also stated that the other man is a registered sex offender and the purpose of the visit was to ascertain where he [the sex offender] was residing since he had not notified an address as per the Sex Offender Requirements.

The warrant further states that PC Harvey located Mr Lown in the annexe and a situation then unfolded whereby Mr Lown threw a laptop in a pond to evade its inspection by police and he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possessing extreme pornography. Mr Lown was also arrested on the same date for perverting the course of justice and possession of heroin.

The laptop was submitted to the Digital Forensic Unit and forensic examination was completed on the extracted hard drive, which included 1,067 extreme pornographic images and 3,511 extreme pornographic videos.

The warrant also states that police attended Burrell Road, Ipswich on August 29, 2019, where Mr Lown was present. He was arrested on suspicion of making, taking, possessing and distributing indecent images of children. He was also arrested on suspicion of Class B drugs. He was interviewed and responded “no comment” to all questions asked.

The warrant states that police arranged to meet Mr Lown at Martlesham Police Investigation Centre on November 27, 2019. He did not attend, went missing and was circulated on the UK’s Police National Computer as “wanted”.