Gary McKinnon ‘could avoid US extradition’

The mother of British computer hacker Gary McKinnon has praised David Cameron for "having the guts" to raise her son's case with US President Barack Obama. McKinnon could now avoid US extradition by serving time in a British jail, the Prime Minister suggested in an interview following his White House talks yesterday.
 
Cameron told BBC Radio 5 Live that the Government has discussed with the US ambassador the possibility of "some of the [sentence], if there is a prison sentence, being served in a British prison".
 
McKinnon, the Asperger's syndrome sufferer who hacked into US military computers looking for evidence of UFOs, could face up to 60 years in prison if he is extradited to the US. Cameron, who last year criticised plans to extradite him, said the hacker was accused of a "very important and significant crime" but he hoped that "a way through" could be found.
 
The issue was also raised at a White House press conference between the Prime Minister and the President following yesterday's meeting. Cameron said: "Clearly there is a discussion going on between the British and the Americans about this, but I don't want to prejudice those discussions."
 
Obama said he could not interfere directly in the case and warned that the issue must be "resolved in a way that underscores the seriousness of the issue".
 
Despite this, McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp described the discussions as a landmark moment. "I'm very proud that David Cameron has the guts to stand up for a British citizen – it's wonderful. Our hopes are that a trial will happen in the UK and there's much more chance of that now... It's not over yet but it has given us hope." ·