He could face life in jail. That’s the possible sentence hacker Gary McKinnon could face if found guilty in the US of illegally accessing 97 government computers.
The 42-year-old Scots-born Londoner has exhausted all possible legal appeals, including one to the European Court of Human Rights, and his lawyer has now appeal to the British Home Secretary to intervene and obtain an assurance from American authorities that McKinnon will be allowed to serve his sentence in the UK if convicted.
The lawyer, Karen Todner, told the BBC:
"It is standard practice for both the Dutch and Israeli governments to seek this assurance on behalf of their nationals who face extradition to the United States. In light of Mr McKinnon’s being diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, it would seem to be highly appropriate that the home secretary obtains this assurance."
The US government asserts that McKinnon committed the largest military hack in history, deleting files, stealing files and leaving a US naval station virtually useless in the wake of 9/11. Among his targets was Nasa.
McKinnon has never denied the hack, but claimed he was looking for evidence of UFOs and claimed he was only able to enter the systems because security was so poor. He’s never been charged in the UK.
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