Former teacher Kevan Dooley, 69, who faces accusations of raping and molesting six male students in New Zealand, may escape extradition to face trial due to claims his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would be infringed.
Dooley, who relocated to England from New Zealand, was ruled eligible for extradition by a British judge, but his appeal to the Home Secretary cites Article 8 of the ECHR, arguing that extradition would violate his right to “privacy and a family life.”
Despite dismissals from the court, his claim must be considered by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper before further action can be taken.
The accusations date back to 1988 when Dooley was a teacher and basketball coach at Rangatahi College in Murupara (closed in 2013), where former students allege he assaulted them at his home or a motel after providing them with alcohol and drugs. The case was initially investigated in 2008 following a victim’s suicide, but authorities delayed pursuing extradition until 2016, when new allegations surfaced. Dooley had relocated to the UK in 1997.
