Dermot McArdle gets 30-day reprieve but he still faces jail time
DERMOT McArdle has been given a temporary jail reprieve but will be put behind bars in a Spanish jail in a month's time.
The Dundalk man has persuaded a Spanish court to give him 30 days to pay €220,000 compensation linked to his 2008 conviction for the manslaughter of his wife, Kelly Ann Corcoran.
McArdle left for Spain last Tuesday just 48 hours ahead of a pay-or-go-to jail deadline.
The 40-year-old spared himself an international arrest warrant by turning up at a court in Malaga after a judge gave him an ultimatum on a payout linked to wife Kelly Ann Corcoran's manslaughter.
Court officials had told the dad-of-three he had until Thursday to show his face and hand over compensation linked to his 2008 conviction – or go to prison.
His two sons by Kelly Ann – Mark and Paul – are due €60,000 each while the dead woman's parents are expecting another €100,000 under the terms of McArdle's sentence.
Despite the month's reprieve, however, Judge Fernando Gonzalez is believed to have told him he was going to jail over the death of his wife.
Hector Gonzalez, lawyer for the Corcoran family, confirmed on Wednesday that the court had granted McArdle more time to make the payments.
He said: "McArdle has been given 30 more days to pay the compensation he owes and present himself for jail. Our understanding is he will serve time in prison even if he pays the money."
Kelly Ann plunged to her death in February 2000 after falling from her fourth-floor hotel room in the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
McArdle, from Haggardstown, was convicted of her manslaughter in October 2008 after a six day trial. State prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him halfway through the court case and asked a jury to convict him of accidentally killing his wife instead. He launched two unsuccessful appeals against his conviction before last week's new developments.
It is thought he has now returned to Ireland after being told he was free to leave Spain.
A source close to the case said: "McArdle's only chance of escaping jail now is by paying the outstanding compensation on time. The new ruling the judge has made says he must return to Malaga within 30 days to pay the money and present himself for jail.
"The judge may lift the prison order if he produces the money but he's given McArdle no guarantees. As things stand at the moment he's on his last month of freedom."
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