Stunning Extradition Appeal Success in the High Court on 18 June 2026

On 18 June 2026, in A.M. v Poland (Ref: AC-2025-LON-004580), George Hepburne-Scott secured the successful discharge of his client in the High Court on appeal against extradition to Poland.

The case arose from a Polish extradition request based upon an aggregate sentence of eight years’ imprisonment imposed in respect of 64 offences. The Appellant’s previous solicitors and counsel had lodged an application for permission to appeal but subsequently ceased acting and advised the Appellant that there were no realistic prospects of success; the effecitvely abandoned him!

The Appellant was thereafter represented by George Hepburne-Scott to review what had been regarded as a “hopeless” case.

Upon examining the papers, George identified a potentially decisive argument under section 20 of the Extradition Act 2003. The Appellant had not been present at the hearing at which the aggregate sentence was imposed. He maintained that he had been in custody at the relevant time, had requested to attend the hearing, and that his request had been refused by the Polish authorities on the basis that he was represented by a court-appointed lawyer.

Following enquiries by the CPS, the Polish court confirmed that the Appellant had not attended the hearing and that no right to a retrial was available. In light of those confirmations, the Respondent was ultimately compelled to accept that the newly advanced section 20 challenge could not be overcome and effectively conceded the appeal.

At the hearing before Johnson J on 18 June 2026, the Court agreed to treat the permission application as a rolled-up hearing. The appeal was allowed, the extradition order was quashed, and the Appellant was discharged. He will now be released from custody.

This outcome represents a significant victory in a case that had previously been considered beyond rescue, demonstrating the importance of careful scrutiny of extradition proceedings and the protections afforded by the Extradition Act 2003.