THE ROMANIAN authorities are seeking the extradition of one of their nationals to serve a 3½ year prison sentence for stealing a number of chickens and a bicycle more than 15 years ago.
Valentin Stan (30), St Theresa’s Gardens, Dublin, is serving a four-year sentence at Cloverhill Prison on false imprisonment and other charges and is due for release shortly.
A European arrest warrant seeking Stan’s surrender stated the theft of the bicycle and chickens occurred in March 1993, when Stan was 13 years old and that at least two of the chickens were consumed.
Stan was convicted of the offences in 1999 and a sentence of 3½ years was imposed but has not been served, the court heard.
Stan has been in Ireland since about 2000, it was stated.
Yesterday, James Dwyer, for Stan, said the principle of proportionality was enshrined in European law and that it constitutes one of the points of objection against an order for his client’s surrender.
As that particular issue was novel in the context of a European arrest warrant and given all the complexities involved, counsel asked the court to recommend the Attorney General’s legal aid scheme be extended to provide for a senior counsel in the case.
Mr Justice Michael Peart remarked this was the “most unusual case” he had ever come across, agreed to make a recommendation under the Attorney General’s scheme and adjourned the case to later this month.
In April 2006, Stan was jailed for four years at Dublin Circuit Court after admitting charges of false imprisonment of another Romanian national and the robbery of bank cards, cash and a phone from that man.
On the same date, he also pleaded guilty to unlawful carnal knowledge of a 14-year-old Irish girl at a flat in Dublin.
He had claimed the girl told him she was 18.
The Supreme Court later struck down the relevant laws on grounds they were unconstitutional.