A MAN WANTED in the UK to stand trial on alleged terrorism and child sex abuse images offences has consented to his surrender, the High Court heard today.
The arrest warrant for London native Mark Nolan (37) also states that Nazi-related materials were uncovered during a search of his address.
Nolan appeared at a sitting of the court today in front of Justice Caroline Biggs, where he also consented to his surrender to the UK for an alleged assault causing harm in London in April 2019.
Detective Garda Eoin Kane of the Garda Extradition Unit gave evidence that he arrested Nolan just before 2pm today on foot of the assault warrant in the holding cells in the CCJ building.
Six prison officers – four of whom wearing stab-proof vests – accompanied Nolan into the court today for his hearing, during which he was not allowed to remove his handcuffs.
Detective Garda Kane told Tony McGillicuddy BL, for the State, that he executed the assault warrant that had been endorsed by the High Court on 29 November last, prior to its issue by London Crown Court on 12 November.
The detective said that although the man in the warrant had also gone by the aliases of Mark Peppard and Mark Wolf, he was satisfied that this accused was the man in the courtroom.
When Kane showed the new warrant to Nolan, the detective said Nolan replied: “I am aware of these”.
Elva Duffy BL, for the respondent, said she had consulted with her client and that he was consenting to his surrender on both accusation warrants.
McGillicuddy said Nolan’s first warrant contained accusations of eight terrorism offences which carried a maximum jail sentence of 15 years in the UK.
Counsel said two charges of making child sex abuse images were also on the first warrant and that they carried a maximum jail term of 10 years. Two further charges of possession of child sex abuse iamges each carried a maximum sentence of three years, said McGillicuddy.
McGillicuddy said the terrorism allegation related to the “possession of eight documents likely to be useful to a person in committing or preparing an act of terrorism” and corresponded to Section 7 of Ireland’s Offence Against the State Act.
The four child pornography allegations corresponded with Ireland’s Child Trafficking and Pornography Act of 1998, he said.
McGillicuddy said that the assault allegation was one of “actual bodily harm” which would amount to a Section 3 assault causing harm in the Irish legal system, which carried a maximum term of five years in the UK.
In his evidence, Nolan told Duffy that he was consenting to his surrender on both warrants.
Justice Caroline Biggs said she was satisfied that Nolan had received professional legal advice from Duffy and that he was fully aware of the consequences of his surrender. Judge Biggs then ordered that Nolan be remanded in custody for 10 days and surrendered during a further period of 10 days to a duly authorised person representing the UK government.
As the United Kingdom has left the European Union, the extradition warrant sent to Ireland from the UK now comes under the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement.
According to the warrant, two searches were carried out at Nolan’s home at Britannia Street, in the Borough of Camden, London, on 10 October 2018 and 25 February 2020, and a laptop was seized.
The warrant states that the laptop was examined and 250,000 indecent images of children were discovered, as well as internet manuals and documents for making improvised weapons and explosives.
The warrant was issued by Westminster Magistrates Court on 16 June 2021, the same day Nolan was arrested by gardaí in Dublin.
He had been listed for trial but did not turn up and took a bench warrant on 21 April 2021.
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