Hughes challenges Home Secretary over McKinnon extradition (Southwark Liberal Democrats)

Southwark Liberal Democrats <info@southwark-libdems.org.uk>

Hughes challenges Home Secretary over McKinnon extradition

July 6, 2009 6:00 PM
Originally published by Simon Hughes MP

The Liberal Democrat MP, Simon Hughes, has criticised the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, over his handling of the case of Scottish computer hacker, Gary McKinnon.

McKinnon is accused of hacking into 97 United States military and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002. He is alleged to have caused around $700,000 of damage to these highly sensitive networks. In July 2006, following legal hearings in the UK, it was decided that he should be extradited to the US to stand trial there. Mr McKinnon has appealed against the decision and remains in legal limbo.

In the House of Commons, Simon Hughes spoke of "the growing anger in [his] constituency and around the country about the plans to extradite Mr. Gary McKinnon to the United States." He warned that Mr McKinnon who "has no previous convictions and suffers from Asperger's syndrome", could be "sent to languish in an American supermax jail indefinitely". This, he declared, was unacceptable when "there is the power to try him in this country, where the offence was committed".

Commenting after the event, Mr Hughes described the Home Secretary's response to his question as "disappointing". "Despite the severity of the situation, the Home Secretary showed little interest in becoming involved in the case", he added.

The Liberal Democrat MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey had called on the Home Secretary to intervene and halt these unnecessary extradition proceedings. However, Mr Johnson refused to give an opinion on the subject, claiming he was unable to do so as he has "no discretion over prosecutions".