Cape Town – International fugitive Ruth Lawrence, who was arrested in Bloemfontein in October last year, has been extradited back to Ireland to face charges of double murder.
Lawrence and her ex-fiancé, Neville van der Westhuizen, were both sought for a double murder that occurred in Ireland in 2014.
Van der Westhuizen, currently serving a jail sentence for another murder in South Africa, has also been arrested for the extradition request related to the Irish double murder.
The collaboration between the Irish National Police, Garda Siochana, and South African law enforcement agencies led to the tracing and extradition of Lawrence.
“The tracing of Lawrence and her extradition come as a result of collaboration between the Irish National Police, Garda Siochana whose team members arrived in South Africa earlier this week, and the South African Police Service INTERPOL NCB Pretoria; the Directorate Priority Crime Investigations; SAPS Detectives and Crime Intelligence.
#sapsHQ International fugitive Ruth Lawrence who was arrested in October last year in Bloemfontein, was extradited back to Ireland on Wednesday evening, 24 May 2023, to face charges of double murder. ME https://t.co/FEtk4ie100 pic.twitter.com/W9KCCOZ3kF
— SA Police Service ?? (@SAPoliceService) May 25, 2023
“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,” National Head of Communication Major General Mathapelo Peters said.
In the past five years, South African law enforcement has successfully arrested and extradited numerous wanted fugitives, and they continue to work with global partners to apprehend criminals and ensure justice is served.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
