Jerseyman extradited to Ireland to face child cruelty accusations

Wednesday 10 April 2019

A 31-year-old Jerseyman accused of cruelty towards a seven-week-old baby in Ireland has been extradited to face the allegations against him, Express can confirm.

Daniel Broadleday was sent to Ireland on 13 March after the Attorney General approved a request from the Irish Court Services.

Born in Jersey, Mr Broadleday spent two years in Ireland after leaving the army in 2014. It is during his time in Limerick that he allegedly harmed a seven-week-old baby, leading it to have suffer seizures and other serious injuries.

While Mr Broadleday has not yet been convicted of assault and cruelty to children, the Irish authorities sent an extradition request to bring him back from Jersey in order to begin proceedings against him.

Mr Broadleday was arrested in December 2018 following the receipt of the extradition request and he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court two days later where he said that he would not be consenting to the request.

Pictured: Daniel Broadleday was brought to Jersey Magistrate's Court in December 2018 after his arrest.

Legal Advisor Paul Lee – acting on behalf of the Republic of Ireland – summed up the “serious nature of the matter” and told the Court that Mr Broadleday left the country “within five days” of the alleged incident and returned to Jersey.

Mr Broadleday appeared in the Magistrate's Court again on 14 February for a full extradition hearing. His lawyer, Advocate Sarah Dale, argued that he shouldn't have to return to Ireland over fears he would be harmed. She said Mr Broadleday had received threats in messages and phone calls from people he knew, and worried that they would "materialise".

The man, who was said to be in a stable relationship with his fiancée in Jersey, told Magistrate Bridget Shaw: “If I am extradited, you might send my death certificate for me, because I know for a fact something will happen."

Questioned by Mr Lee over the chain of events surrounding the alleged assaults, Mr Broadleday was unable to explain the discrepancies between information provided in a statement and what he said in court on the day of his extradition hearing.

Pictured: Mr Broadleday said he had received threats in messages and phone calls from people he knew.

Mr Broadleday failed to convince Magistrate Shaw, who said that, having heard him discuss the threats he allegedly received, she had found him to be a "wholly unreliable and unconvincing witness", who "contradicted" himself.

She told Mr Broadleday that the alleged offences he was accused of would carry an unlimited penalty in Jersey and were serious enough for him to be extradited.

She described the separation of families as "one of the inevitable consequences of extradition", but ultimately concluded there were no grounds for him not to be sent back.

Magistrate Shaw referred the case to the Attorney General, Robert MacRae, who Express has now learnt approved the extradition. Mr Broadleday had 14 days to appeal if he wished to do so, but didn't act on it.

He will now face proceedings before the Irish Court Services.