THE prison escaper, Thomas Clarke, was remanded in custody yesterday afternoon following his extradition from Amsterdam.
Clarke (27), of Keepers Road, Dublin, was handed over to gardai by Dutch police at 1.45 p.m. (Dutch time) and flown back to Ireland.
He had been unlawfully at large Since April 25th last when an armed gang intercepted and rammed a prison van taking him from Portlaoise Prison to a court appearance in Dublin.
He was arrested in Amsterdam on June 4th last, the day of the Ireland Holland soccer international in the city.
On arrival at Dublin Airport, Clarke was driven in a high speed Garda convoy to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Amid tight security, Det Sgt Kieran Kelly of the Garda extradition section applied for a remand in custody for a week on foot of a number of warrants issued by the court earlier this, year.
Clarke - known as "Bomber" - was not legally represented and he agreed with Judge Kevin Haugh he had no questions to put to Del Sgt Kelly.
Judge Haugh said as some of the warrants related to sentences Clarke had been serving, the question of bail was academic at this stage. He granted the remand to October 23rd next and said any application on behalf of Clarke could be made at that hearing.
Del Sgt Kelly told Mr Robert Sheehan, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, that Clarke had been sentenced to five years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on January 26th, 1996 for robbery, by the then Judge Michael Moriarty.
The sentence was backdated to September 21st, 1995, and the final 12 months was to be suspended "if all things went well", the court heard.
On March 19th last, Judge Gerard Buchanan imposed a concurrent five year term for another robbery offence.
The detective said a month later, on April 25th, Clarke effectively escaped from lawful custody while on his way from Portlaoise Prison to the District Court in Dublin in relation to another charge. An armed gang used a car to ram the prison van at the Naas Road.
When Clarke "turned up" in Amsterdam, gardai went there to identify him and extradition proceedings were set in train. Warrants were obtained in relation to both the sentences he was serving and to the outstanding matter.
The extradition was granted and Dutch police handed over custody of Clarke less than two hours before the court appearance.
After the hearing, Clarke was led in handcuffs from the court to an unmarked squad car. He covered his head with a jacket as photographers tried to take his picture.