British politicians are coming out in support of
self-confessed hacker
Gary McKinnon to prevent him serving a jail term in the
US.
McKinnon faces
imminent extradition to the US to face trial for allegedly
hacking more than 73,000 computers belonging to the US Army, Navy
and Department of Defense.
David Burrowes, shadow justice minister, has urged home
secretary Jaqui Smith to halt McKinnon's extradition unless the US
allows him to serve any sentence in Britain.
Burrowes, MP for McKinnon's home constituency of Enfield
Southgate in north London, filed the petition in an early day
motion last week after failing to get a response to a personal
appeal made to Smith two weeks earlier.
The motion has been backed by Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat
home affairs spokesman, Chris Mullin, former foreign office
minister, and Conservative MP John Bercow.
David Blunkett, former home secretary, is among supporters who
have called for McKinnon to be repatriated immediately because the
hacker has Asperger's syndrome.
The Home Office has rejected an appeal for McKinnon's
extradition to be set aside on the grounds that he suffered from
Asperger's.
McKinnon's lawyer has since
asked for a judicial review of the case by the High Court,
which is expected to make a decision in four to six weeks.
Former home secretary John Reid granted the US request to
extradite McKinnon on 4 July 2006. McKinnon has since
appealed and lost in every court available to him.
McKinnon admitted he gained illegal entry to US military
computers between 1999 and 2003, but he has denied the alleged
extent of his incursions or that he caused damage.
Podcast: my country let me down, says Gary McKinnon
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