McKinnon extradition appeal denied
Aspergers sufferer to be trialled in the States
31 July 2009 11:33 GMT / By Duncan Geere
UFOlogist and hacker Gary McKinnon has failed in his attempts to avoid being extradited to the USA to face charges of hacking into Pentagon computers, which carries a potential sentence of 60 years.
McKinnon's appeal asked Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, to hold his trial in Britain. His supporters argue that it should take place in the UK because the hacking took place in his flat in Wood Green, North London.
The man hacked into 97 computers, and left a message saying "I will continue to disrupt". The US government claims that repairs cost them $700,000. He suffers from Asperger's syndrome, and his family say that the extradition could put him at risk of psychosis or suicide.
McKinnon himself says that he wakes up every morning "feeling as though someone has taken a sledgehammer to my chest during the night". Over 100 MPs and a number of celebrities backed his cause, but their efforts came to nothing. The trial, now confirmed for the States, will take place in due course.
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