Case with British twist faces week delay

Deirdre Newman

The arraignment of a 25-year-old Newport Beach defendant on

vandalism and stalking charges -- a case causing quite a hullabaloo

in England because he is the son of a high-ranking British official

-- was postponed Tuesday until next week.

Alastair Irvine appeared in Superior Court in Santa Ana to enter

pleas for a misdemeanor and five felony charges. Judge Ronald Kreber

granted a delay to Irvine’s attorney, Edward Moses, who declined to

comment on the case.

The case is grabbing headlines in England because Irvine’s father

is Lord Derry Irvine of Lairg, the Lord Chancellor, who is close to

Prime Minister Tony Blair and holds the highest judicial position in

the country.

“[The Lord] ran the Chambers where Tony and [his wife] learned to

become lawyers and arranged their first date,” said Nicholas

Wapshott, a reporter for The Times of England. “He mentored them

through their early legal careers.”

Irvine’s arrest in late June did not raise any eyebrows, said Tori

Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s

office.

But in a few weeks, all that changed after Richards received a

call from The Mail, another British newspaper. That opened the

floodgates on the media deluge that followed, she said.

British journalists have converged on the area, and in their

traditional paparazzi fervor have aroused police attention

themselves, Richards said.

“The victims feel like they’re being terrorized by the media,”

Richards said Tuesday. “This is not Britain, this is America. At one

point, tons of reporters were following [the victims] and the police

were called.”

The district attorney’s office is requesting that the victims not

talk to the press so they don’t jeopardize the trial, Richards said.

Richards emphasized that Irvine is being treated like any other

defendant, despite his high-profile father.

“He is in the regular inmate population and eats the same thing

they eat for dinner,” Richards said.

Irvine came to the U.S. to receive treatment for cocaine

addiction, according to The Times.

The charges against Irvine stem from various incidents starting in

March, when he got into a dispute with a neighbor and reportedly

threw acid on his car, Richards said.

Then, Irvine started pursuing Nicole Healy, 19, who already had a

boyfriend, Karel Taska, 19. When his advances were rejected, Irvine

allegedly threw acid on Taska’s car.

Ultimately, he went to the Newport Tanning Club, where both

worked, with a concealed weapon and reportedly threatened Taska with

bodily harm, Richards said.

Irvine is being held on $100,000 bail, which is moot because the

Immigration and Naturalization Service has placed a hold on him

because he is reportedly here illegally. He could receive up to 15

years in prison if convicted, Richards said.

His arraignment was delayed until Tuesday, giving the British

media a few more days in sunny Southern California.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education and is the interim public

safety reporter. She may be reached at (949) 574-4221 or by e-mail at

deirdre.newman@latimes.com.