Irishwoman Ruth Lawrence was nabbed in Bloemfontein by the Hawks. Image: Supplied.
Wanted Irishwoman sent back home to face double murder charges
Irishwoman Ruth Lawrence was extradited from South Africa to Ireland to face double murder charges on Wednesday.
Irishwoman Ruth Lawrence was nabbed in Bloemfontein by the Hawks. Image: Supplied.
Dubliner Ruth Lawrence was extradited on Wednesday evening, 24 May. She and her ex-fiancé were sought in connection with the 2014 double murder of Eoin O’Connor and Anthony Keegan.
READ: Irishwoman says she will go home to face double murder case
Extradition of Ruth Lawrence from South Africa to Ireland for Double Murder Charges
As previously reported, 42-year-old Lawrence was nabbed in Bloemfontein in October. She reportedly fled to South Africa with her fiancé, Neville Peter van der Westhuizen, after Keegan and O’Connor were murdered in County Meath in 2014.
Soon after her arrest, Lawrence opted not to apply for bail and indicated she would return home to face the double murder charges. The extradition process has been underway since October 2022.
READ: Irishwoman’s ex-boyfriend also faces extradition over double murder
“The fugitive, Ruth Lawrence, was on Wednesday, 24 May 2023, escorted from Bloemfontein to Pretoria, from where she was ultimately extradited later that evening. Lawrence was handed over to the Irish police, who would subsequently take her back to Ireland to face charges of murder,” said Major General Mathapelo Peters.
The Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) in Pretoria has arrested 60 international fugitives over the past five years. Of the 60, 42 suspects have been extradited and 27 extradition requests are currently before South African courts.
Conversely, the Interpol NCB has managed to track and arrange for the arrest of 11 fugitives wanted in South Africa, who have since been brought back to face trial.
Ex-fiancé also facing extradition
The Irish authorities also want Van der Westhuizen, who is serving a prison sentence for another murder he committed in KwaZulu-Natal.
The extradition process for him is currently underway in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
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The South African previously reported that Neville Van Der Westhuizen, 40, is imprisoned for his involvement in the death of Bluff teenager, Cody Houghton, who was 19 when he died in 2017.
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