A man, identified as Thomas Laurance McCabe, who is believed to have violated his parole conditions in Northern Ireland, has been brought before the Dublin-based High Court. The case revolves around a murder charge dating back three decades, for which McCabe had received a life sentence. Mr. McCabe was convicted in 1990 for the brutal murder of Richard Hunt, the cousin of his then-partner, in a London flat where he resided.
The court records indicate that McCabe, under the influence of alcohol during the incident, confessed to attacking the victim with a portion of scaffolding. However, McCabe later retracted his admission, citing his inability to recall the event. His conviction resulted in a life sentence handed down from the courts in London, stipulating a mandatory imprisonment term of at least 11 years.
Between 2008 and 2013, McCabe was granted parole several times, only to experience subsequent revocation of his licences. The last such occurrence was in 2015 when he dwelled in the Republic. Resulting from this was an extradition hearing at the Dublin based High Court, ending in McCabe’s handover to Northern Irish authorities in 2020 to carry out the balance of his punishment. In August 2023, he was authorised to be released from prison temporarily for 24 hours, but he reportedly did not return and has purportedly remained unlawfully free since then.
McCabe was later apprehended by the police in Dublin and presented to the High Court, where he conceded that he was the subject of an extradition request under the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement and showed an understanding of the details in the remittance request. He is currently in detention per High Court Justice Nuala Jackson’s orders after she appraised him of his rights, including the entitlement to legal representation.
During the brief court appearance, McCabe, who has retained Kieran Kelly BL as his counsel, did not request bail. The state has indicated its objection to any possible bail for McCabe, and preparations are underway for his next court appearance in the upcoming weeks.