The Daily Mail reports some potentially good news::
By James Slack and Michael Seamark
Last updated at 12:03 AM on 20th May 2010Gary McKinnon is to be saved from the threat of immediate extradition as early as today.
Home Secretary Theresa May believes a court case to send the vulnerable hacker to the U.S. - due to begin in a few days - should be halted.
Her intervention gives Gary - who is backed by the Daily Mail's Affront to British Justice campaign - a vital new chance to plead the case for being dealt with in the UK.
Without it, the Asperger's sufferer would have been extradited within weeks to a foreign jail, where it is feared he would be almost certain to take his own life.
Gary faces up to 60 years imprisonment on charges of hacking into U.S. military computers.
Psychiatrists have warned that the 44-year-old - who was looking for evidence of 'little green men' - will kill himself if sent to America under the 'lopsided' Extradition Act 2003.
A succession of Labour home secretaries had abandoned Gary to his fate despite the desperate warnings about the state of his mental health.
But after the Mail's vigorous campaign, which was launched ten months ago and is supported by civil liberties groups, autism charities, celebrities and scores of MPs, Mrs May is understood to want a rethink.
She will now reconsider the medical case for keeping Gary here, where he has agreed to be tried for his 'crimes'.
This reflects a request made by Gary's legal team last week for the new Government to look at the case afresh.
[...]
Mrs May's decision will be formally put to Gary's legal team as early as today, under a process which requires them to agree to adjourn the court case.
The judicial review of former home secretary Alan Johnson's refusal to intervene had been due to begin next week and was virtually a last throw of the legal dice.
If it is adjourned Mrs May can then begin formal consideration of the mountain of medical evidence that Gary is unfit to be extradited.
If it is established that he cannot be allowed to go, it opens the door to a prosecution in the UK.
[...]
Last night Gary's mother Janis Sharp said: 'Obviously, the Home Secretary reconsidering the case would be good news but we will only be happy if we are told it is all over.'
His solicitor Karen Todner, of Kaim Todner, said: 'The legal team is extremely pleased that the Home Secretary appears to have appreciated that she is able to exercise discretion in relation to Mr McKinnon.
'We will make further representations to her in the hope that she will stop this extradition.'
Lawyers are not the only people who can and do "make representations" to the Home Secretary.
When John Reid was Labour Home Secretary, so many of you kindly wrote to the him on behalf of Gary, that the Home Office had to stop sending out individual replies.
Please write to the new Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition government Home Secretary on Gary's behalf:
Home Secretary
Rt Hon.Theresa May MP
c/o Direct Communications Unit
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
Telephone: 020 7035 4848 (09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri)
Fax: 020 7035 4745
Minicom: 020 7035 4742 (09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri). Please note that this service is for members of the public with impaired hearing.
Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
fg
The Home Office website confirms the Daily Mail story:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/top-stories/home-sec-adourn-mckinnon
lucy
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/26/clegg_on_mckinnon/
Eyes4Lies
"You here that Mr. Anderson. That is the sound of Inevitability."
Like I said...A Political Pawn that will be sacrificed.
I just didn't think they would tell the truth so soon after the election.
Susanne Neslen
Thank goodness the new Home Secretary, Teresa May is looking into the case of the extradition of Gary Mckinnon being sent to the US for trial.
As I have stated previously in emails of support for Gary, as a suffered of AS he becomes implusive and obssessed by anything that he becomes interested in - this is a sympton of AS. He is not a criminal, never had any criminal intent, just curiosity! As I have also stated before, the US government should actually be thankful that it was someone like Gary who hacked into their computers, as he had no evil intent towards the US at all; however he did show up the rubbish security system the US obviously has. Perhaps they should thank him instead of trying to punish him to save their own face for lack of their top security.
The whole issue of Gary going for a trial in the US is ridiculous in the extreme, immoral and just downright cruel!
I hope Teresa May and her legal team can find a loophole in this British law brought in by the Labour Government to prevent Gary being sent to the US. He would not surive mentally and emotionally if sent there and I fear may already be in an extremely fragile state.
AS (on the autistic spectrum) although high-functioning in the main, symptons do include high sensitivity, extreme emotional swings and absolute panic and possible partial mental collapse, confusion for anyone with AS who is put under pressure.
John
We were led to believe that the extradition treaty with the U.S was to be used for Terrorists but Ex U.K Attorney General Baroness Scotland letters to US Senators reassuring them Irish terrorists would not be extradited puts paid to the myth that our government signed the treaty with the U.S in order to extradite terrorists.
Link here: http://bit.ly/9zR4bj
Had Gary McKinnon been the slightest threat whatsoever he would not have been left to remain online for three and a half years after he was arrested in March 2002.
No one in the world has ever been extradited for computer misuse.
Marc Kirby, a computer forensic scientist who was the senior police officer in charge of the National High Tech Crime Unit Squad when Gary was arrested recently made a public statement and said that Gary McKinnon should be tried in the U.K and the ongoing pursuit of him is spiteful and vindictive.
A man in Romania hacked into the Pentagon and was sentenced to eight months prison in Romania and there was no extradition request.
A man in Israel hacked into the Pentagon and was given no sentence whatsoever and there was no extradition request.
Because the last British government were stupid enough to sign away the rights of British citizens via a one sided extradition treaty with the U.S America has taken advantage of this and is targetting our most vulnerable citizens including, 60 year old Liz Prosser, Brian and Kerry Howes and 67 year old cancer sufferer Ian Norris.
Not in a million years would the U.K be targetting American citizens for minor crimes like these, if crimes they were.
All of the U.S allegations against Gary McKinnon are just that, hugely overblown allegations as clearly shown at the last court hearing.
Either the proscutors have no knowledge of computers or hacking whatsoever or they are vindictive to the core.
The U.S wants to extradite a guy with Aspergers for trespassing (as the U.S had no passwords and no firewalls on thousands of machines) and because Gary left countless cyber notes warning them that their security was virtually non existent and they really ought to do something about it.
He was a whistleblower no less and was looking for evidence of UFO technology and Free energy that could help to reduce the effects of climate change.
If someone leaves a securicor van full of gold unattended for not weeks but for years on end and someone walks in, has a look around and alerts the authorities; we would be very glad that he did. The securicor driver would lose his job and the company would not be insured but we would not prosecute the whistleblower.
Disclosure from the CPS at Gary McKinnon's last court hearing showed that the lawyer when responding to evidence provided by the U.S had written "No evidence, Hearsay".
Computer expert Professor Peter Sommer gave a statement to the court saying that the alleged financial damage was not for damage as such but was the cost of the U.S authorities having to install firewalls and security that they should have had installed in the first place.
Know when to let it go U.S. This is making you look bad. Stop pursuing people such as Gary McKinnon, Liz Prosser and the Howes family and send 67 yr old Ian Norris home to the U.K and show that you actually are human.
Honeybear
It's very interesting that Baroness Scotland in her letter to Senator Feingold (http://bit.ly/9zR4bj) asked him to contact Senator Dodd. Because the Baroness contacted one Senator in this case, why shouldn't she have contacted the other (Dodd)? The whole letter appears to be Feingold's marching orders.
If you're British then you know that her reference to Irish/American groups and people suspected of terrorism connected with Ireland is pure propaganda. Ireland is not connected with Nationalist and Republican terrorism in Northern Ireland. In fact, Ireland is more repressive than the UK in regard of political oppression of Nationalists and Republicans.
The extradition treaty stinks even more after the Baroness stirred the pot. Henry Makow's take on Gary is a gust of fresh air.
http://www.henrymakow.com/von_braun_beware_fake_alien_th.html