UFO hacker is broken man, says family

Published on Wednesday 3 September 2008 00:26

A GLASGOW-BORN computer expert accused of hacking into American military systems is "distraught" as he awaits extradition to the US, his family and friends said yesterday.

The parents and girlfriend of Gary McKinnon, 42, joined supporters in London for a demonstration outside the Home Office, calling on the government to prevent him from being handed over to American authorities.

McKinnon, an unemployed systems analyst from north London, admits accessing 97 US military and Pentagon computers, but claimed he was looking for UFO files.

The US government accuses him of stealing passwords and deleting files.

McKinnon faces up to 70 years in prison if he is found guilty.

His partner, Lucy Clarke, 37, said: "He is a broken man – he is distraught. The whole family has been living in terror."

His father, Charlie McKinnon, 63, who travelled from his Glasgow home, said: "I don't want him to go to America.

"There is no hope for him to face a fair trial – they've made up their minds."