Quote: PAC "Where and whats Tim Wilby doing nowadays ?'"
Seriously ill former Hull FC and Tigers boss faces extradition on drug charges
Tim Wilby leaves court.
A controversial former boss of Hull FC and Hull City faces extradition to the Czech Republic on drug trafficking charges.
Ex-rugby star Tim Wilby has appeared in court in London accused of smuggling amphetamines through the eastern European country.
The 52-year-old, a former chief executive of Hull FC and an ex-Tigers' chairman, is fighting an extradition request from Czech officials who want him to stand trial on the drugs charges.
Mr Wilby is fighting the case on the grounds of his ill-health. The court heard he is HIV positive and had recently been stabbed.
City Of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard the former player has four "life-threatening" injuries to his liver after he was the victim of a stabbing in the summer.
The court heard Mr Wilby has four aneurysms on his liver. He is also suffering from depression.
His barrister Malcolm Hawkes has successfully applied for the case to be adjourned while medical reports are produced.
Mr Hawkes told the court his client had nearly died in the knife attack.
He said: "Each aneurysm represents a life-threatening event and we say this requires highly specialised treatment at short notice.
"There is also the matter of a psychological report, which is to do with the defendant's state of clinical depression."
He said "urgent enquiries" were being made to determine whether Czech prisons would be able to cope with his various ailments.
Mr Wilby, of Southwark, south London, was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant by Hampshire Police.
He will have to wait until next January to hear the outcome of his case and has been released on bail.
The star played for Hull FC in the 1980s. He was famed for scoring FC's only try in their 10-5 defeat to rivals Hull KR in the 1980 Challenge Cup final. He left the city to play a brief spell in Australia before returning as director of the club.
He was lauded as a "knight in shining armour" in 1997 after masterminding leisure tycoon David Lloyd's multi-millionpound takeover of Hull City and Hull FC, which was then known as Hull Sharks, after promotion to the newly-created Super League.
It was Mr Wilby's dream to bring together the two clubs and move them to a new stadium.
He had met Lloyd at an exclusive Surrey-based golf club, owned two Mercedes and reputedly invested some of his own money.
But speculation ran riot when it emerged he did so while working as a caretaker on a dilapidated council estate in London.
Following the buyout, Mr Wilby became chief executive of Hull FC and chairman of Hull City and the two men set about a plan to transform the fortunes of both clubs.
Mr Wilby remained in the roles for six months before quitting.
Lloyd's spell at City and FC went from bad to worse as he steered the clubs to the brink of destruction.
Mr Wilby will now have to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions.
A £6,000 security and £10,000 surety have been provided by his family.
