The real villain in the Gary McKinnon scandal

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is one step nearer to being extradited to the US. But Britain's Home Office is the real villain of the piece, says Jody Clarke.

He has the backing of politicians across the spectrum, and celebrities flock to his cause. Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, Sir Bob Geldof and Chrissie Hynde are even recording a charity record for him. But last Friday, self-avowed "bumbling computer nerd" Gary McKinnon moved one step closer to being extradited to the US. The High Court ruled that he could not be tried in Britain for what America alleges was "the biggest military computer hack of all time". He faces up to 60 years in a maximum-security jail if convicted.

But this wasn't the work of a terrorist, says Boris Johnson in The Daily Telegraph. McKinnon, 43, who admits to hacking into 97 US military computers seven years ago, was "simply following up a weird intuition that UFOs exist, with all the compulsiveness that he has exhibited since he was a child". Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, the Glasgow-born hacker is just "a classic British nutjob, who passionately believes something that is irrational... he is a prime candidate for the protection of the Government".

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Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.