'Heartbroken' hacker's mother makes plea to Obama

Published on Friday 31 July 2009 13:19

THE mother of computer hacker Gary McKinnon made an impassioned appeal to US president Barack Obama today after her son failed in his latest High Court bid to avoid extradition to America.

HACKER'S MOTHER IN EMOTIONAL APPEAL TO OBAMA

By John Aston, Sam Marsden and Cathy Gordon, Press Association

The 43-year-old, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (AS), is wanted for trial on charges of hacking into US military networks.

Today Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Mr Justice Wilkie ruled extradition was "a lawful and proportionate response" to Mr McKinnon's offending, and said the Home Secretary was entitled to accept US assurances that he would receive "appropriate care" in America.

After the judgment, Home Secretary Alan Johnson made clear that he has no plans to stop Mr McKinnon's removal.

He said: "It would be illegal for me to stop the extradition of Gary McKinnon, which the court ruling has made clear.

"Mr McKinnon is accused of serious crimes and the US has a lawful right to seek his extradition, as we do when we wish to prosecute people who break our laws.

"He is accused of hacking into 97 US Army, Navy, Nasa and Defense Department computers concerned with national defence and security at a critical time immediately following the 9/11 attacks and leaving the military network vulnerable to intruders.

"The court judgment has also made absolutely clear that the DPP's decision not to prosecute in the UK was the right one.

"My predecessor has already sought and received clear assurances from the US that Mr McKinnon's health and welfare needs would be met, should he be extradited."

But immediately after the "heartbreaking" High Court ruling, Mrs Sharp made a dramatic, desperate appeal to Mr Obama to halt her son's removal as she stood on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Directly addressing Mr Obama, she said: "Stand by us and make this world a better place, a more compassionate place."

She added: "Obama wouldn't have this. He doesn't want the first guy extradited for computer misuse to be a guy with Asperger's, a UFO guy. He wouldn't want this.

"I'm just praying, please hear us, Obama, because I know you would do the right thing.

"I know you would have the strength to stand up and not have this."