L v Regional Court of Veszprem (Hungary) [2024]

Ceylon assisted in securing conditional bail for an Applicant in LL v Hungary, granted by Ellenbogen J following a fully contested hearing on 14 November 2024. The case concerned historical theft offences for which a two-year sentence had been imposed. Although extradition had already been ordered and permission to appeal had been refused on the papers, the matter was listed for a Renewal Hearing on 21 November, creating a significant risk that bail would be refused as being too proximate to the hearing.

Working alongside counsel, George Hepburne-Scott, it was successfully submitted that the Applicant had lodged an asylum claim based on discrimination against Roma Gypsy communities in Hungary, rendering any removal statute-barred under s.121 Extradition Act 2003. The core of the application concerned the Applicant’s deteriorating eye condition, retina vein occlusion (RVO) which was being inadequately treated in HMP Wandsworth and was causing permanent damage to his eyesight. This provided a powerful protective factor in favour of bail. Despite this being the Applicant’s sixth bail application, the Court granted conditional bail.