My son is prepared for trial – but not in US – says Scots hacker's mother

Published on Sunday 29 November 2009 22:44

THE mother of computer hacker Gary McKinnon says he is prepared to go on trial for hacking into the Pentagon's computer system. But Janis Sharp has repeated her assertion that her son should not be tried in the US.

Last week, home secretary Alan Johnson finally dashed hopes that the UK government would intervene in the case, insisting there was no evidence that the Scot's human rights would be breached.

Glasgow-born McKinnon, who has Asperger syndrome and is said to be obsessed with UFOs, faces up to 60 years in jail for breaking into the American systems after the 9/11 terror attacks.

He has claimed he was looking for evidence of UFOs.

Yesterday, Janis Sharp said the burden of proof in each legal system was different, leaving UK citizens at a disadvantage. "We don't have equal rights with the Americans, we don't have probable cause," she said, adding that her son's mental state was now so fragile she believed he would take his own life if jailed.