Photos: McKinnon "distraught" says family

Nasa hacker supporters vent fury in Home Office protest

Anger boiled over into tears as the distraught friends and family of Nasa hacker Gary McKinnon picketed the Home Office in a last ditch attempt to block his extradition.

His mother Janis McKinnon and girlfriend Lucy Clarke, pictured here, broke down as they wrestled with the imminent departure of McKinnon to the US where he faces up to 60 years in jail.

The refusal of his appeal by the European courts has devastated McKinnon, said Clarke, leaving him "staring into space" and scared "they could put him on a plane at any minute".

Mrs McKinnon said the family has already suffered a "six-and-a-half year sentence" battling his extradition in the courts all the way to the House of Lords, which rejected his appeal in July.

Around 30 of McKinnon's friends and family gathered in front of the Home Office building in London yesterday for the protest, shouting "free Gary" and "prosecute Jacqui Smith".

McKinnon is due to face trial over allegations he broke into more than 90 US military systems, including those belonging to Nasa, in 2001 and 2002 while hacking under the alias Solo.

Photo credit: Nick Heath/silicon.com

Comments

There are 3 comments. Join the discussion

  1. 1. anonymous

    There has since been another protest last Sunday outside the American Embassy.
    More than 100 people turned up, with rousing chants being directed towards those in the American Embassy

    There is to be yet another protest held outside the Home Office on Friday the 10th October at 4pm.

    • 3 October 2008 11:56
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  2. 2. Jay Jackson

    Brilliant coverage and excellent piece of Journalism and photo journalism on this highly relevant case.

    • 3 October 2008 12:07
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  3. 3. Lindsay Gray

    First of all, I have no connection to McKinnon or his family, but I truly feel that every other current human rights issue in the U.K. takes a back seat to this one.

    • 4 October 2008 16:33
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