Bid for freedom

Frederick?Hawkesworth and Sean Gaskin, who were both ordered extradited to the United States in 2011 to face drug charges, are making a new bid for freedom.
Their attorney, Ralph Thorne, QC, has filed a constitutional motion on their behalf asking the High Court to declare that they had been deprived of the right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time, by an “independent and impartial court”, in contravention of Section 18 of the Constitution.
The application, which is scheduled to be heard today, was prompted by the time it has taken for their appeal against the extradition order to be heard.
Hawkesworth, Gaskin and fellow accused John Scantlebury were ordered extradited in June 2011 and have been on remand at HMP Dodds since.