Surrey Police has defended its decision to charter a private jet costing nearly £16,000 to extradite TikTok influencer Harrison Sullivan, known as HSTikkyTokky, from Spain back to the UK. Sullivan, 24, had been evading police for almost a year after a car crash in March 2024. He was detained in Spain last August for unrelated matters, and Surrey Police spent £15,990 on a private charter flight from Malaga to bring him back, escorted by National Crime Agency officers.
The force stated this was the "only viable option" after a risk assessment by the NCA's National Extradition Unit deemed other methods unviable due to perceived risks. However, a judge at Staines Magistrates’ Court rejected the prosecution's request for over £18,000 to cover the flight and extradition costs, ruling the private jet was "not necessary or proportionate." The judge was not given satisfactory details of the risk assessment and questioned why a private jet was needed, suggesting first-class travel could have mitigated concerns about Sullivan being recognized on a commercial flight.
Surrey Police emphasized that Sullivan's extradition was "imperative for the safety of Surrey's roads" due to his dangerous driving at 70mph in a 40mph zone and subsequent evasion of police. In November, Sullivan pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance, receiving a one-year suspended custodial sentence, a two-year driving ban, a three-month electronic tag, and an order to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation. The total cost to Surrey Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for his extradition was over £28,000, but the judge reduced the amount Sullivan must pay to around £17,320, deducting £10,000 from the police's claim for the private jet. Sullivan was given six months to pay the costs.