Terror law watchdog Lord Carlilehas writtento the home secretary to
call onUFO hacker Gary McKinnonto be
prosecuted in the UK instead of being extradited to the US to face
charges there.
Carlile's intervention comes as the director of public
prosecutions considers whether to prosecute McKinnon - who has been
diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome - under British computer misuse
laws.
In a letter to home secretary Jacqui Smith, Carlile says, "There
is no doubt that Mr McKinnon could be prosecuted in this country
given that the acts of hacking occurred within our
jurisdiction.
"Of special importance is the opinion of Professor Simon
Baron-Cohen, who describes the unusual and florid symptoms which
place Mr McKinnon clearly within the category of Autism Spectrum
Disorder, with potential injury to his health of a high order were
he to be transferred to the US legal system."
He suggests a transfer to the US, where McKinnon faces jail,
could infringe European human rights laws.
"I would hope that the US authorities would be prepared to
accept that the English legal system is capable of dealing with the
case in full," he says.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson also says McKinnon should be tried
in the UK instead - a call supported by several MPs.
A final judicial review of the case is scheduled for next
month.