A man who, together with his 31-year-old son, was shot in the leg in a paramilitary-type shooting in Derry earlier this week was last night extradited to the Republic to face six VAT-related charges.
Patrick McGonigle (56), a sub-contractor who has addresses at Woodlands in Derry and at Quiet Water in Muff, Co Donegal, became the first person to be extradited from the North to the Republic on such tax charges.
In the early hours of last Tuesday morning Mr McGonigle and his son Michael, who lives at Cranlee Park in Derry, were attacked by four masked men, one of whom was armed, outside a fish and chip shop close to the Derry-Donegal border at Culmore.
The gang bundled them into a car and drove them five miles to the Creggan Estate in Derry where they shot both men.
The gang then drove from the scene and the car they used was later found on fire at Quarry Street in the Brandywell area of the city.
The shooting was claimed by the Real IRA.
Resident magistrate Barney McElholm was told during the extradition hearing in the city's magistrates' court that Mr McGonigle was arrested yesterday morning by police officers at Strand Road PSNI station.
A Crown lawyer said that warrants for Mr McGonigle's arrest had been issued by a district justice in Carndonagh District Court on December 2nd, 2003.
Mr McGonigle is charged with six offences of knowingly or wilfully delivering to the office of the Collector General, Sarsfield House, Limerick, incorrect VAT returns, on various dates between March 2000 and April 2001. The charges were brought under to Section 1078 (2) (a) and (3) of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997.
The lawyer told the court that Mr McGonigle did not want to be legally represented and that he was not contesting the extradition proceedings.
When asked by the magistrate to confirm that, Mr McGonigle replied "Yes". He also told the court that he was waiving his right to appeal his extradition within 15 days and told Mr McElholm that "I do not want 15 days, I do not need that, I want to go today".
Mr McGonigle, who walked with a pronounced limp in his right leg when he arrived in custody for the extradition hearing, then signed before the magistrate a form in which he consented to his immediate extradition.
