George Hepburne-Scott secures extradition victory in re-issued warrant case

On 16 February 2026, George Hepburne-Scott‘s client was discharged by a District Judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The defendant had faced a sentence of 3 years’ immediate custody on the basis of an Extradition Arrest Warrant issued by Romania for historical driving offences including a breach of a suspended sentence. The Romanian authorities had tried previously to extradite the defendant in 2017 but had failed to issue an assurance re prison conditions (that is now mandatory in all Romanian cases).

The factors that helped to persuade the Judge to discharge in this case were (i) the unexplained 7 year delay in re-issuing the warrant, (ii) the overall delay of 14-18 years since the offences, (iii) the defendant’s sleep apnoea, and (iv) the defendant’s business and life with his wife in the UK over the past 16 years.

George has developed a particular expertise in defending re-issued warrant cases, this being his second successive victory in such cases. He acted as Direct Access Counsel in this case.