CHINA: Accused U.S. rapist Kenneth Freeman consents to be extradited back to the United States

Kenneth Freeman, one of America's most wanted fugitives who is accused of raping his daughter and posting the video on the Internet, has consented to extradition back to the United States. One of America's most wanted fugitives, who stands accused of raping his daughter and putting the video on the Internet, has consented to be extradited back to the United States, a Hong Kong court heard on Monday (September 10). Kenneth Freeman, 45, held in Hong Kong after a worldwide manhunt, had earlier contested an extradition request. He faces a maximum penalty of life in jail in the United States if convicted on charges including child rape and production of child pornography. Freeman told a Hong Kong court that he "voluntarily" accepted extradition, saying he felt that was in his best interests. The thick-set bodybuilder and former sheriff's deputy in Washington state, was driven to the courthouse in a high security black truck with bars blocking the windows. Freeman's lawyer, Giles Surman, said Freeman agreed to the extradition so that a lot of the material that may be presented in the United States is not rehearsed in Hong Kong. "Mr Freeman consenting to his extradition has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on his innocence. He maintains his innocence to all of the charges that he is facing," he said. Hong Kong's Chief Executive must now sign the extradition order in a process that usually takes four to six weeks, according to Wayne Walsh, a government counsel for the prosecution. "An order has been made by the committing Mr Freeman to custody to now await a decision by the Chief Executive on his surrender to the United States, so this is the process that we are following," Walsh told reporters outside the courthouse. Freeman was on separate lists of most wanted fugitives kept by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The video of Freeman and his young daughter was one of the most widely downloaded child pornography in recent years, according to U.S. law enforcement officials. Freeman has been charged with child rape in Washington state and released on bond in December 2005. He fled the country after federal charges were brought in early 2006 and has been the subject of a worldwide manhunt. Officials from the Marshals Service said Freeman, a competitive bodybuilder and computer expert, was believed to be in Suzhou in eastern China and had been working for a U.S.-based firm. China and the United States do not have an extradition treaty but when the Chinese were informed about Freeman they agreed to help, the officials said. They said U.S. investigators learned in April that Freeman intended to travel to hong Kong. Upon his arrival the was arrested by local law enforcement officials. An extradition treaty still exists between the United States and Hong Kong, which was signed in 1996 and has remained in force after the former British colony's return to Chinese rule in 1997.

ITN Source | September 10, 2007

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