McArdle ordered back to Spain
DERMOT McArdle has been given a ultimatum by Spanish authorities to hand himself in by next Thursday March 4th.
The Dundalk man who was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife Kelly Ann Corcoran in Marbella 10 years ago, last week lodged an appeal against a ruling by a Spanish judge that he should now serve the two year sentence.
McArdle ( 40), from Haggardstown, was originally sentenced in October 2008 after a jury convicted him of the manslaughter following a week-long trial in the Costa del Sol town of Malaga.
He was given a two year suspended sentence and as is custom under Spanish law was ordered to pay compensation to the victim's family, in this case his late wife's parents, Ted and Bridie Corcoran, to the amount of 100,000.
He was also ordered to pay 60,000 each to the two children he and Kelly Ann had together.
But failure to pay this compensation landed McArdle in hot water with Spanish authorities, and a judge has now ruled that he pay the 220,000 owed or go to prison.
McArdle's lawyer has been told he must bring his client to Spain to face the judge by March 4th. Although the appeal against the judge's decision to jail him has been lodged, it does not freeze any of this process.
If he fails to show in front of the judge and pay the money he owes, an international arrest warrant is likely to be issued and he could then be arrested by gardaí.
Kelly Anne (29) died two days after falling from the balcony of Marbella's five-star Melia Don Pepe Hotel following an argument with her husband.
McArdle reportedly received a six-figure insurance payout following his wife's death and benefitted from the sale of their former family home.
The couple had been living at Harvest View, Wheaton Hall, Drogheda, at the time of Kelly Ann's tragic death.
