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Government to fight UK hacker case

What a great idea.

We could try him in absentia. Send the conviction order to England and the British government can hold him as he serves his sentence there. I like it.
 
a777pilot said:
What a great idea.

We could try him in absentia. Send the conviction order to England and the British government can hold him as he serves his sentence there. I like it.
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If the government does win the fight to try McKinnon inthe UK, he'll be liable to our courts and our legal system, not the US system. And thank god, considering the sentence he'd face if tried under US law.
 
Oh yes, poor McKinnon. :roll:

If he didn't hack the government computers, he wouldn't be in the situation he is in. Sorry I hold no sympathy for this man. If you're bold and brave enough to do the crime, you're bold and brave enough to do the time.
 
TheNextEra said:
Oh yes, poor McKinnon. :roll:

If he didn't hack the government computers, he wouldn't be in the situation he is in. Sorry I hold no sympathy for this man. If you're bold and brave enough to do the crime, you're bold and brave enough to do the time.
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The same time one would be facing for a murder charge, I believe, which is utterly ridiculous. Quite frankly, I hope the government does whatever possibly, including challenging the current extradition treaty between the UK and the US, to keep MacKinnon in our hands, where he'll receive a fair sentence. You know, one not commiserate with the time period one would receive for killing another huamn being in cold blood, for hacking into a computer system.
 
Anima said:
The same time one would be facing for a murder charge, I believe, which is utterly ridiculous. Quite frankly, I hope the government does whatever possibly, including challenging the current extradition treaty between the UK and the US, to keep MacKinnon in our hands, where he'll receive a fair sentence. You know, one not commiserate with the time period one would receive for killing another huamn being in cold blood, for hacking into a computer system.
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And yet again, boo hoo. Maybe next time someone will reconsider hacking into a government computer.

Maybe instead of hacking into a computer, he should have been more focused on being a more model citizen. If you do the crime, you do the time. Period.
 
Hacking is a potentially dangerous activity. Not in the sense of ending lives, but the information that can be gleaned from government computer systems is almost always valuable enough to wreck some politician's life. I can understand how the U.S. would be anxious to keep him on American soil.

Selling information is still a very viable route to power in this world.
 
Laila said:
He broke UK law as well.
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Well once he gets done serving his time in a U.S. prison, then he'll go home and you guys can punish him for the laws he broke in the U.K.
 
TheNextEra said:
Well once he gets done serving his time in a U.S. prison, then he'll go home and you guys can punish him for the laws he broke in the U.K.
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He is British not American. He broke British law, he should be sentenced under British law.
 
Arch Enemy said:
Did he cause harm to anybody?
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So people should only be punished for crimes that cause harm?

Drinking and driving doesn't cause harm. Trespassing doesn't cause harm. Possessing chemical weapons doesn't cause harm.

If you want to argue about what should or shouldn't be legal that is fine, but the man broke well established laws and caused documented and calculable harm.
 
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Orius said:
Yeah right. Once the U.S. has him in its jails, do you seriously think they'll give him back if he's found guilty? Once he's on U.S. soil he's never leaving.
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I'm curious as to why you think this based on past UK/US relations?
 
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Laila said:
He is British not American. He broke British law, he should be sentenced under British law.
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What about the American laws he broke. Will you try him for those too?

Will you set up a court of "Britians who break American laws"? :roll:
 
scourge99 said:
What about the American laws he broke. Will you try him for those too?

Will you set up a court of "Britians who break American laws"? :roll:
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No, we should take into account what occured in US and the laws broken there and apply it fairly onto him along with the laws broken in UK and he can do the time in UK
 
Laila said:
Government to insist Gary McKinnon serves sentence in the UK - Times Online

Let's not hold our breath. This is Labour we are talking about.
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If the UK government doesn't want him extradited then that is their business and their right as a country.However once they choose to let this alleged hacker be extradited to the US then if the US finds the individual guilty he should be punished under US law and incarcerated in US prisons. The UK has no obligation top punish him on their soil, if he didn't break any UK laws or hack into any UK computers. IF all they are going to do is fly him all the way here,try him over here in the US in a US court, and then fly him back to the UK with the expectation that they'll punish him then that is a waste of time and money.
 
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Laila said:
No, we should take into account what occured in US and the laws broken there and apply it fairly onto him along with the laws broken in UK and he can do the time in UK
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And under what law or statute would this even be valid? There is no precedent for this that I'm aware of.

By rejecting extradition and our established treaties you open up a can of worms.
 
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