Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London WC2A 2LL
B e f o r e:
MR JUSTICE BLAKE
Between:
THE QUEEN ON THE APPLICATION OF RAUKTYS
Appellant
v
MINISTER OF JUSTICE, REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
Respondent
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The Appellant appeared in person
Mr Ben Seifert appeared on behalf of the Respondent
J U D G M E N T
MR JUSTICE BLAKE: This is an appeal from a decision of District Judge Devas made on 15 September 2014 at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on a conviction warrant issued by the Republic of Lithuania. The issue below was whether the implementation of extradition pursuant to the warrant would be unlawful because of interference with Article 8 (family life). The judge was not persuaded by that.
A notice of appeal was issued but no substantive grounds have ever emerged. The appellant's advocates have indicated to him and the court their wish to come off the record; he is in custody. They have advised him that there are no submissions to be advanced in favour of his Article 8 contention which is barely stated. The position today is that his advocates cannot advance any argument in favour of the appeal.
I therefore accede to the application that they come off the record. I then examine the appeal on the materials before the court as they are today. I have the advantage of a skeleton argument from the respondent that had been served on the claimant and to which there is no reply. In the light of that skeleton and in the absence of any submission made by the appellant in support of the appeal, I conclude that this appeal should be dismissed essentially for the reasons contained in the respondent's skeleton argument. For these reasons, this appeal is dismissed.