[ISN] Nasa hacker granted Lords appeal

From: InfoSec News (alerts@private)
Date: Tue Oct 16 2007 - 00:34:26 PDT


http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39290029,00.htm

By Tom Espiner  
ZDNet.co.uk
15 Oct 2007

Gary McKinnon, the Briton who has admitted hacking into Nasa's computer 
systems, has been given leave to appeal against extradition to the US.

McKinnon was granted leave on Thursday to appeal to the Law Lords, a 
group of senior UK judges, on the grounds of the nature of plea 
agreement discussions with representatives of the US authorities.

His appeal will be heard "sometime in the New Year", according to his 
solicitors, Kaim Todner.

The US government wishes to try McKinnon on charges of unauthorised 
access to Nasa's systems.

According to Kaim Todner, during the plea bargaining process between 
November 2002 and April 2003, US government representatives attempted to 
coerce McKinnon so he would not oppose extradition proceedings.

"The US representatives promised [McKinnon] a greatly reduced sentence 
and that they would facilitate repatriation [if McKinnon co-operated], 
but that if he opposes they would throw the book at him," said Jeff 
Anderson, assistant to McKinnon's solicitor. "They said that were he 
found guilty, he would be put in a super-maximum security facility in 
Colorado, and spend much of his time in solitary confinement. They told 
him he would fry."

Anderson said that the US authorities had later denied this claim.


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