MEP's European Arrest Warrant law returns Quintas to UK

11.49.58am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 30th Jun 2005

Commenting on the delivery of murder suspect Hugo Quintas to Wiltshire police, Graham Watson, the South West and Gibraltar Liberal Democrat MEP - the person who took the European Arrest Warrant legislation through the European Parliament 2 years ago - said;

'If the Conservatives and other anti-Europeans had got their way, Hayley Richards' family would not have the satisfaction of seeing the prime suspect brought before the law. British Conservative MEPs voted against my European Arrest Warrant proposals out of knee-jerk opposition to anything European. But this cross-border co-operation between police forces and magistrates is precisely the kind of area where the EU brings added value to our citizens. Before the European Arrest Warrant law came into force there would have been no realistic chance of Hugo Quintas being brought back to face trial.'