Another miscarriage of justice!

[indalo]

BBC News - Hacker Gary McKinnon will not face UK charges

I must remember to quote this if I ever find myself in a court of law.....Oh, and the Moran woman one too.

Indalo

 

[neptune]

To be honest, I would have to disagree. I find it a refreshing change that, for once, we did not jump when Uncle Sam whistled. In the long run, the yanks will benefit, as they will have to tighten the security on their government computer systems. Do you really think that this guy deserves 60 years in prison for what he did?

 

[flecc]

100% agree Neptune. I think the government are well aware that this type of feeling is widespread in Britain and they decided that upsetting the USA's security services was a lesser danger than upsetting the electorate.

Had this government been more secure, Gary McKinnon might not have been so fortunate.

 

[jazper53]

Maybe the Goverment is starting to realise that the "special relationship" is more like a noose around ones neck.

 

[indalo]

Do you really think that this guy deserves 60 years in prison for what he did?

Absolutely not and I doubt if, had he been shipped over to the US for trial, he would have received a sentence anywhere near that length.

As for extradition treaties, it's pretty clear now that all bets are off so we shouldn't expect any favours from other countries when we seek to have criminals returned to UK jurisdiction. As I think I indicated some time previously, I believe he should have been extradited regardless of where the effect of his hacking may have manifested itself, rather than look at it as a purely US matter, as seems to have been the case.

That's been settled for some time but I had rather hoped that good sense and some justice would be seen to be served by way of our judicial system. This man has got away with criminal activity using a medical condition which apparently excuses him from standing trial and hence he evades any form of punishment. That can't be right but for that to be announced on the same day that Margaret Moran also escapes proper justice for robbing me of £53000, beggars belief in my book.

Medically, Ronnie Biggs was a mess when he came back from Brazil but we didn't show him much by way of mercy continuing to keep him in prison for years even though he was no threat to anyone. I wonder what Ronnie thinks of this kind of justice.

Indalo

 

[flecc]

Absolutely not and I doubt if, had he been shipped over to the US for trial, he would have received a sentence anywhere near that length.

Possibly not, but the record shows that all US prison sentences are far, far harsher than ours. Combine that with the inhuman conditions in many US prisons where vulnerable inmates become victims of unspeakable treatment by other prisoners and sometimes staff as well and it becomes questionable whether a vulnerable person like McKinnon should be subject to extradition.

The US authorities had the option of prosecuting him here in the country where the offences were committed and they turned that down. Since they don't appear to trust our legal system, it's only right that we need not trust theirs.

 

[mike killay]

Possibly not, but the record shows that all US prison sentences are far, far harsher than ours. Combine that with the inhuman conditions in many US prisons where vulnerable inmates become victims of unspeakable treatment by other prisoners and sometimes staff as well and it becomes questionable whether a vulnerable person like McKinnon should be subject to extradition.

The US authorities had the option of prosecuting him here in the country where the offences were committed and they turned that down. Since they don't appear to trust our legal system, it's only right that we need not trust theirs.

And although I don't have the details, there is something bent about reciprocity in UK/USA extraditions

 

[flecc]

And although I don't have the details, there is something bent about reciprocity in UK/USA extraditions

Yes, we have to show the evidence to support extradition of a US citizen and they decide whether to accept that. They don't have to show any evidence, only state the accusation, to which we have agreed to extradite. The McKinnon case is, as far as I know, the first time we have broken that lopsided agreement.

This is one legal area where, perhaps paradoxically, Russia has it right. Their constitution forbids the extradition of any Russian citizen, they are only subject to justice in their own country. Since everyone's own national law is that which everyone grows up with, I think that would be a better and more just international system of trial for offences abroad.

 

[Ajax]

BBC News - Hacker Gary McKinnon will not face UK charges

I must remember to quote this if I ever find myself in a court of law.....Oh, and the Moran woman one too.

Indalo

If this was done by someone in a country unfriendly to the US, would they have expected
this extradition? Let's say a Chinese, or north Korean student hack'd a US gov computer,
would the US demand his extradition, or would this have lead to a diplomatic incident?

If anything this chap revealed a flaw in their security, they ought to be thanking him, and
asking politely how this was done.

 

[themutiny]

And although I don't have the details, there is something bent about reciprocity in UK/USA extraditions

I don't think it's limited to extradition.

It's a shame that the below is purely fictional

YouTube

 

[styx]

Don't you think McKinnon and his mother have suffered enough having this hanging over them for ten years?. living with the uncertainty would be unbearable.