May's decision is long overdue. McKinnon did not sabotage or damage the American computer systems, nor was he engaged in any realistic reconnaissance or criminal espionage. He was, in fact, searching for evidence of UFOs and the free energy suppression conspiracy theory.
His actions were not malicious, and he even wrote cyber-notes warning the computer systems of their own inadequate security. As if the American appeal for extradition was not already questionable, McKinnon has a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, and his condition is compounded by clinical depression.
To extradite someone suffering from a recognised cognitive deficit with a likely risk of suicide or self-harm is immoral regardless of the law, particularly so in context to McKinnon's innocuous intentions and meager crimes.
It is surely the woefully lax security of the computer systems that should be scrutinised, and the U.S. government's blatant desire to make an example of McKinnon rather than acknowledge their own failures should be condemned.
In any case, there is no recognised legal basis for the extradition of a British citizen to the U.S. for alleged crimes committed in Britain itself, not America, particularly concerning cyber-crimes. This is another damning indictment of the absurdities and hypocrisies of the extradition policies between Britain and America.
Thankfully, Theresa May's verdict was a pleasing victory for reason and compassion.
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| McKinnon in 2009 |
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