Gary McKinnon to not face charges

[Cliphead]

Where's Alexei calling for his head?

I would have thought this would have distracted him from chasing up his sofa

[mudskipper]

He's proper banned.

[BrilloPad]

He's proper banned.

only until the 21st.

he will be back to make the last post of 2012

[BrilloPad]

Makes me wonder....if they don't want to prosecute him and the home secretary won't allow him to be removed...then the guy is free to hack into US computers! So would it not be prudent to bar him from using a computer with access to the internet?

If he goes abroad he could still be extradited to the states.

[centurian]

If he goes abroad he could still be extradited to the states.

Yep - he's probably stuck in the UK now.

Looking at this again, I am surprised he wasn't charged under the Computer Misuse Act, but I guess when the act was written (1990), there was little provision for actions done solely in the UK against non-UK assets.

If convicted, at worst he would have got a very short prison sentance, but more likely, a suspended sentance or community service.

I think that probably sums up all the fuss - not what he did, or whether he should have been prosecuted in the US, but the proportionality of the punishment to the "crime", with the US taking a much harder line and wanting to lock him up for a lot longer.

[OwlHoot]

only until the 21st.

he will be back to make the last post of 2012

Yes, banning AtW on New Year's Eve would be cruel and unusual punishment

[SueEllen]

Yep - he's probably stuck in the UK now.

Looking at this again, I am surprised he wasn't charged under the Computer Misuse Act, but I guess when the act was written (1990), there was little provision for actions done solely in the UK against non-UK assets.

If convicted, at worst he would have got a very short prison sentance, but more likely, a suspended sentance or community service.

I think that probably sums up all the fuss - not what he did, or whether he should have been prosecuted in the US, but the proportionality of the punishment to the "crime", with the US taking a much harder line and wanting to lock him up for a lot longer.

He would plead not guilty, get a jury trial and if he was convicted he then the crown in turn would appeal all through the courts all the way to the European court arguing that he did/didn't get a fair trial.

Even before the Human Rights Act if newspaper editors etc published too much about a case the trial would have to be stopped and the publishers of the stories could be charged.