UK says no, Autistic hacker to be tried in U.S.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said yesterday it would not try Gary McKinnon in the UK and will extradite him across the pond where he could face up to 70 years in a maximum security facility and a $1.75 million fine for allegedly hacking into military computers in the U.S.
McKinnon, who has said he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, initially pleaded guilty to the CPS with the hope of being tried in his home country where his alleged crimes were less severe.
However, the CPS rejected his request and said it would not prosecute him on allegations of computer misuse, citing lack of evidence.
In the U.S., McKinnon is charged with breaching 97 computers belonging to NASA, the Department of Defense and several branches of the military a little after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. McKinnon has said in the past he was looking for evidence of UFOs.
McKinnon currently faces seven counts of computer fraud charges in the U.S.
Last month, the CPS told news providers the case would be best tried in the U.S., where the bulk of the evidence and activity were at.
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