The Central Bureau of Investigation has sought an intervention at the highest level in the United Kingdom government as the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has remained “nonchalant” in making a strong case for extradition of alleged paedophile Raymond Andrew Varley.
The CBI has written to the Indian Foreign Secretary, Sujatha Singh, urging her to take up the matter with her British counterparts, apprising them that in the lower court the CPS did not forcefully contest 66-year-old Varley’s claim that he suffered from dementia, citing a report by his neuropsychologist.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had also demanded Varley’s extradition during her meeting with the visiting U.K. Foreign Secretary of State, William Hague, a few days ago.
On May 8, the Court of Westminster rejected India’s extradition request on the solitary ground of failing mental health of the accused, although acknowledging that a prima facie case was made out against him. “In the court, the CPS did not even push for an independent medical health evaluation of the accused,” said an official.
At the insistence of the CBI, the CPS has filed an appeal in the High Court of England in Wales. Now the prosecutors have to file a statement in the court’s administrative division by July 21 to explain why they did not choose to examine the accused through another mental health expert while the matter was pending in the lower court.
The CBI, through the High Commission of India in London, made several requests to the CPS for an interaction via video-conferencing over the issue and also sought the draft documents besides information on the U.K. laws and procedures. However, there has been no definite response from the prosecutors.
Wanted in a case against a paedophile racket run by foreigners in a Goa orphanage, Varley was arrested in Bangkok in January 2012. He was then deported to England. “Photo depictions seized by us suggest that he had abused hundreds of children over a period of time,” said the official.
Following investigations in the case, the agency had earlier filed charge sheets against Freddy Albert Peat of Goa and six foreign nationals. Two of the accused, E.C. McBride of New Zealand and W.W. Ingo of Australia, were extradited and convicted by court. They were repatriated after completion of their sentence.
“The extradition request in Varley’s case was rejected by the Westminister Court on flimsy grounds. Did they check whether a report by the neuropsychologist (on whose opinion the request was turned down) can even be relied upon in a trial against a U.K. citizen in a U.K. court?” asked Vidya Reddy of non-government organisation Tulir, which has been following the developments in the case for several years.
