U.K. GRANTS EXTRADITION FOR RIVER RYAN MAN
River Ryan man facing robbery charges in Singapore
A River Ryan man — accused of robbing a bank in Singapore — will not be heading home anytime soon.
A spokesperson with the United Kingdom Home Office, said Minister of State Nick Hurd has ordered David James Roach’s extradition to Singapore.
“David Roach has two weeks to seek leave to appeal to the High Court against extradition,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to the Cape Breton Post.
A joint statement was also issued by Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs and the AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers. The deadline for the appeal must be filed by Nov. 8.
According to Britain’s Extradition Act, if Roach doesn’t appeal he must be extradited within 28 days of the order.
Following an extradition hearing in August, the Cape Breton Post reported that a Magistrates’ Court judge ruled the requirements for Singapore’s extradition request for Roach had been met and sent the case to the Home Secretary for final decision. Roach is accused of robbing a Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore on July 7, 2016, of about Cdn$30,000. Two days later, he was arrested in Thailand.
In June 2017, Roach was sentenced to 14 months in jail for violating Thailand’s money laundering and customs laws by bringing money from a robbery into the country.
After serving his sentence, Roach was deported from Thailand to Canada on Jan. 11, 2018 but he was arrested in London during the layover on a request from authorities in Singapore.
Roach’s extradition was sought on one count of robbery — which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of six strokes of the cane — as well as one count of money laundering — which comes with a 10-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine.
Singapore has an extradition arrangement with Britain. However, the British government requested assurance that if Roach is convicted of robbery he will not be subjected to caning. The government in Singapore agreed to the request.
Singapore’s The Strait Times newspaper recently reported that during the extradition hearing Dr. Alan Mitchell said Roach’s extradition would risk exposing him to degrading treatment due to prison conditions in Singapore. Mitchell was engaged as an expert by the Council of Europe’s committee for the prevention of torture.
The story also said if Roach was extradited to Singapore, he would be housed in the Changi Prison Complex. According to Wikipedia, Changi Prison houses the most serious criminal offenders in the country including people serving long sentences and those who have been sentenced to death.
Changi Prison is also one of the main places where judicial corporal punishment by caning is carried out.