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Tory plans would keep London criminals on the loose
May 20, 2009 12:25 PM
Some of London's most dangerous criminals would have walked free under Conservative policy on Europe, according to research by the Liberal Democrats.
Conservative MEPs voted against the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which has slashed extradition times across the EU from an average of eighteen months to just 43 days.
Sarah Ludford MEP, top London euro-candidate for the Liberal Democrats, said:
"Conservatives spin a line on crime - they claim to be against it. But they fought to stop the European Arrest Warrant because they'd rather indulge their eurosceptic prejudices than make a serious effort to arrest dangerous criminals."
"It's vital that British police and prosecutors have the power to bring villains back to justice, as Londoners will appreciate. Following the failed 21/7 bomb attempts, Hussain Osman fled to Italy, but was returned to the UK within weeks under a European Arrest Warrant and is now serving life in prison."
"The European Arrest Warrant has also been used to bring London rapists and murderers back to the UK and put them behind bars. No thanks to the Tories, who would leave police and prosecutors mired in red tape and taking years to catch criminals. The Tories should apologise for letting gangsters live a life of luxury on the 'Costa del Crime' and putting the public at risk."
Notes to Editors
1. The figures on the number of people extradited to and from Britain under a European Arrest Warrant since 2004 came in answer to a Parliamentary Question:
2. During the passage of the Extradition Bill in 2003, Lord Filkin noted that it took on average 18 months in a contested case to extradite someone from Britain, and certain notorious cases had gone on for five years or more:
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/2003/may/01/extradition-bill#column_853#column_853
London case studies:
Hussain Osman was the failed 21/7 bomber who fled to Italy using his brother's passport. He was returned to the UK within weeks after a European Arrest Warrant was issued. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007 and must serve a minimum of 40 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to murder.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6634923.stm
Viktor Dembovskis raped and murdered a girl three days before her eighteenth birthday in Greenford, West London in 2005 before fleeing to his native Latvia. He was returned under a European Arrest Warrant and sentenced to three life sentences in 2006.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4856848.stm
Clifford Hobbs escaped from a prison van in 2003 after his accomplices shot the driver. He was arrested in Spain and extradited under a European Arrest Warrant. He was sentenced to twelve years for firearms possession, escape from custody and robbery.
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