Friday 14 December 2012

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who is wanted in the US, will not face charges in the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20730627

 

 

Gary McKinnon will not face UK charges

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Computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who is wanted in the US, will not face charges in the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC announced the decision, some three months after Home Secretary Theresa May stopped the extradition.

Mr McKinnon, 46, admits accessing US government computers but says he was looking for evidence of UFOs.

He would have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted in the US.

Mr McKinnon, who had been fighting extradition since 2002, suffers fromAsperger's syndrome.

He was permitted to stay in the UK on human rights grounds after medical reports showed he was very likely to try to kill himself if extradited.

Both Prime Minister David Cameron - who held talks on the case with US President Barack Obama - and his deputy, Nick Clegg, had previously condemned plans to send the Briton to the US.

A US Department of Justice (DoJ) spokeswoman, in an October statement, said the US was "disappointed" by the home secretary's decision not to extradite Mr McKinnon.

It stressed the decision had been an "exceptional" one that would not set a precedent for future cases.

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