Asperger to be sent to jail for 70 years - Pentagon

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Gary McKinnon, the UFO-obsessed computer geek who hacked into the Pentagon networks, has received a massive setback in his fight against extradition to America.

Mr McKinnon, an unemployed 42-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome, faces up to 70 years in an American prison as a terrorist under a controversial extradition treaty.

He had hoped to avoid extradition to the US by being tried in the UK – but was dealt a huge blow last week when the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not bring charges against him.

The move opens the way for him to be extradited instead, under the 2003 Extradition Act.

Glasgow-born McKinnon was accused of breaking into Pentagon computers and raiding 98 networks used by the US army, navy and Nasa between February 2001 and March 2002.

He has always maintained he hacked in to find evidence of UFOs. He also told police that the US systems had been accessed by other hackers, many of Chinese origin.

Now, his last hope appears to rest with a judicial review of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s decision that, despite his Asperger’s syndrome, there is no medical objection to his extradition for trial.

His supporters include pop star Sting and wife Trudie Styler, who have written to Jacqui Smith backing his case.

Sting told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s a travesty of human rights that Gary McKinnon finds himself in this dreadful situation.

‘The US response in relation to the true nature of Gary’s crime is disproportionate in the extreme. Gary is even contemplating suicide because of his fear of incarceration as a terrorist in a US jail.

‘The British Government is prepared to hand over this vulnerable man without reviewing the evidence.’

Sting pointed out that Mr McKinnon faces extradition under an Extradition Act signed by Britain but not Washington – which means Britain does not have reciprocal rights.

Prof Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, also backs Mr McKinnon. He said: ‘He should be tried in the UK and not treated as a terrorist but as a man with a social disability.’

McKinnon – who is also being supported by London Mayor Boris Johnson – is living in his home in Wood Green, North London, until the final decision is made.

His mother Janis Sharp, said: ‘I’m heartbroken at the lack of compassion shown towards my son.

‘Somebody, somewhere please wake up and realise the extradition of even one vulnerable person cannot be a price worth paying to save the US’s embarrassment.’


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... itain.html
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I found it on Concen

As MasterMG said
He should share what he found

In the US, a NON government entity was broken into by a person CLAIMING to be curious! Here are some of HIS supposed exploits:

Now I know that the UK government puts the interests of foreign powers over that of its citizens. This man ought to go on the run to another Commonwealth country or even someplace in the European Union if immigration obstacles are not too hard to overcome..

Hacking into the Pentagon is serious stuff. You don't mess with Uncle Sam and get away with it.

Guilty, quit stalling.

So he knows the Chinese? 98 networks? For over a year?

What does the US Army have to do with UFO's?

My bet is they will make it look like suicide.

Asperger's is not an excuse.

If anything, an Asperger type would look up and read the law.

Sting wouldn't be thinking of coming here with a laptop?

We are killing potential terrorists in Iran and Afganistan, letting a proven spy walk for working from Britian would not look good.

He has admitted to knowing of Chinese cyber spying, now we really want him.

Asperger's is a difference in thought and perception, not an excuse.

If he was just some hacker planting a worm, I would still want him hunted down and brought in.

So 9/11/01, he was hacking our secure systems?

Britian, a failed State that harbors known terrorists?

The American taxpayer is bailing out AIG so they can bail out your banking system, it cost us Billions.

We were under no obligation to do so, we could have just let it crash. We are going in future debt to try to keep the world running. Your world. It is not over, AIG still has a lot outstanding, and now we own it, and will follow through with our obligations as a Civilized Country, where our word is worth something.

We want to talk to the guy who was monitoring our most secure systems on 9/11/01.

While I think he should be punished, I do think that extradition is too much, as is the sentence. The Yanks have no right to do so. I know of two other British hackers who were sentenced to jail (through the book Underground by Suelette Dreyfuss) for various hacking exploits. 6 months each, if I remember. I don't think they hacked the Pentagon, but they hacked various other institutions, mostly to show that they could do so, rather than to actually access information.

I think 5-10 years in a British jail would be enough. And it sounds like this guy might have more to him than AS.

Of course, this whole extradition seems to me of being an attempt to recruit him. Has anyone thought of that?

Kinda funny how people get only 5-15 years(depending on the area) in jail for murdering someone, but if you hack onto a computer you get 70 years.
Its like they think computers are more important than people.

These 98 systems are our Nation.

If there is a Chinese or 9/11 connection, it will be a lot more than 70 years.

He broke into 98 systems, many times, over a year, 70 years is six months or less per offense.

Someone taught him the key code which is shared with governments.

If we were your ally, why would you not want us to find out how he did it?

Someone helped him.

70 years sounds rather excessive. While he deserves some form of punishment for hacking into the government, I see no evidence that he intended to use this information to harm anyone. It sounds a lot like following the letter of a (rather fascist) law. But this doesn't have to do with his AS; the punishment would be equally unreasonable for anyone else in those circumstances. And I do think it's acceptable to try him in the US:

1. The crime was against the US government.
2. Even if he was not physically in the US at the time of the crime, that's a rather silly argument because the Internet crosses national borders.
3. It follows previously agreed upon treaties.

70 years is ridiculous, but the various AS/autism groups lobbying for him annoyed me greatly. If you think the law's unfair, lobby your government to revoke the treaty. Don't say he deserves a get out of jail free card because of his diagnosis.

Guilty.

Send him to prison.

Next case.

I'm not convinced he is an Aspie. He is using this as an excuse to get out of trouble. What he did was a coordinated and destructive hacking attack. I've been following this case, I think they will trade it off with a lesser punishment, but he will be punished. Just because he 'claims' to be an Aspie does mean he should get away with this destructive and terrorist act. Is simply claiming to be an Aspie the new get out of jail free card? I assure you the law does not work that way.

He deserves to get punished like anyone else would. AS doesn't mean s**t in this case. It doesn't make you stupid enough not to know the consequences of hacking into the Pentagon.

If you can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen. You're not hacking some random person's computer, you're hacking the Pentagon. This guy is dumb as f**k for doing that.

@alienesque: Why would he not have AS? He is using it as an excuse, but I don't see how that means he doesn't have it at all.

Bernie Madoff is facing 150 years. He is over 70. He could have been charged with 100,000 counts, and been given ten years on each.

70 years is the max. No one gets the max.

If he had not run such a crime spree, he would not be in trouble.

I deal with government computers, the ones that have a warning screen, This is Govenment Property, accessing it is a Felony punishable by ten years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Seven counts of unlawful access to secured networks is not a lot considering he broke into 98 systems and admits it. He admits to knowing of Chinese agents doing the same?

We just arrested a Senator's son for hacking into Palins email, it is a crime.