Smith pressured over hacker extradition

Gary McKinnon will be extradited to the US within the next fortnight

Tuesday, 02, Sep 2008 01:45

Lawyers for the British man facing extradition to the US for hacking into US military and Nasa computers are pressuring the government to seek his return to the UK after sentencing.

Gary McKinnon, 42, faces extradition in the next fortnight after losing appeals against the move in the House of Lords and European court of human rights.

He allegedly gained access to 97 top-secret computers between February 1st 2001 and March 19th 2002 from his home in London.

On Friday evening Mr McKinnon's lawyers submitted a medical report to Jacqui Smith showing he has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Karen Todner of law firm Kaim Todner said in the light of this diagnosis he should be given the same treatment as Israeli and Dutch citizens extradited to the US. They are returned to their country of origin after sentencing.

She argues there is a strong possibility Mr McKinnon could be imprisoned in 'supermax' facilities where inmates have only a very limited exercise regime, are kept without physical contact and are under constant CCTV surveillance.

Mr McKinnon could face life in prison if convicted by a US court. Ms Todner told politics.co.uk "they want to make an example of him" and added: "The irony of Gary's situation is that he could have been tried here, served his sentence and been out by now. He could have received an adequate sentence for what we accept he did."

The Home Office has not yet responded to Ms Todner's submissions.

She added: "There's going to be a real media song and dance. They're going to punish him 20 times over."

Mr McKinnon was first arrested in 2002 and had an initial appeal against his extradition on terror charges rejected in 2006.

US prosecutors allege that Mr McKinnon altered and deleted files at a naval air base shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks. He claims he hacked into the computers to look for information about UFOs.