UPDATED: Gary McKinnon will be extradited to the US, ruled the British High Court this week, with the hacker failing in his long-running appeal to be tried in the UK instead.
McKinnon, who has never denied hacking into Pentagon and military computers but insists that he was merely looking for information on UFOs, has been told by the Home Secretary that he cannot be charged in the UK of the crime and must be extradited.
Aspergers
Aspergers Syndrome sufferer McKinnon could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted of accessing 97 computers in the US - what prosecutors have called "the biggest military computer hack of all time".
His lawyers believe that McKinnon could be a suicide risk because of his illness, and insist that their client was not acting maliciously when he accessed the computers.
Stay tuned for more news on the McKinnon case as it breaks.
Via BBC
Your comments (6) Click to add a new comment
lovlid
August 4th 2009
6. "the punishment WAY exceeds the crime"
NO, it doesn´t. If it was me or anyone else without any kind of illness, there wouldn´t be any fuss at all. No messing about, straight over to the yanks.
"the guy has a mental illness"
But he is still intelligent enough to know Right from Wrong, hence the admission of guilt.
The trouble with this case is the Media. They have got everyone thinking we are extraditing a grown man with the mind of a child. Sympathy always sells papers. Both governments have got to be seen to be doing their jobs. Imagine the headlines in the daily mail if he is just given a slap on the wrist.
" SUSPECTED TERRORIST SET FREE "
Get a grip people, he´s not being sent to a Russian goulag.
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asd
August 1st 2009
5. @optimaximal. he is not mentally ill. its the only bit of ammo he has got to defend his pathetic self. like "aswang" said he broke the law. what he did is considered a big violation of american security. so he has got to face up to it. nothing more to it than that. whats the big deal.and as for the being extradited under a terror charge. why shouldnt they? with the world in teh situation it is, why the hell is he hacking toop secret systems? he could have very easily be snooping around. and as for now, they havent proved anything so its only an allegation.
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optimaximal
July 31st 2009
4. 'I thought this was pretty clear cut case. Did he break the law and hack into US government systems? YES.'
Nobody is arguing whether he broke the law (he even admitted guilt). What people are arguing against is:
a) The punishment WAY exceeds the crime
b) He had not outward terrorist intent (he is being extradited under terror laws)
c) The guy has a mental illness which likely contributed too his activities.
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aswang
July 31st 2009
3. I thought this was pretty clear cut case. Did he break the law and hack into US government systems? YES. Regardless of his intentions he broke the law and now he must face up to the consequences.
Now his lawyer is trying to get another criminal off the hook with an illness loophole.
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optimaximal
July 31st 2009
2. The US are only doing this because he made them look like fools. Wasn't the last person too do this called, oh, Frank Abagnale Jr.? He got a pretty cushy job after getting a slapped wrist.
Whilst [McKinnon] could 'in theory' go to prison for 70 years, it would be a travesty and a waste. The new government in the US needs to shed off the influence of the neo-cons and look at this sensibly.
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afroboy70
July 31st 2009
1. What? Lock him up? The US and UK governments should be fighting over him to work for their intelligence agencies. This guy has obviously got some serious talent that they could use.
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