President Barack Obama has given fresh hope to London-based computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who has Asperger syndrome, in his fight against extradition to the US.

Obama said the US would respect any decision by the UK’s Home Office over whether McKinnon, 45, should be extradited on charges of hacking US military and NASA computer systems between February 2001 and March 2002. McKinnon is said to have caused up to $800,000 worth of damage and faces up to 60 years in jail. He says he was merely looking for information on UFOs that he believed the US Government was concealing.

In a press conference with Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama said: “We have confidence in the British legal system coming to a just conclusion, and so we will await resolution and we will be respectful of that process.” Cameron added he understood the “widespread concern” about the way McKinnon would be treated if handed over to the US authorities.

At present, court proceedings have been halted so that Home Secretary Theresa May can assess fresh medical evidence and review his case on human rights grounds, bearing in mind his diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.

David Burrowes MP, McKinnon’s constituency MP and one of the key figures behind his fight against extradition, told Autism Eye that, in waiting for nine years for a resolution, McKinnon’s health had been deteriorating.

He said: “I’m extremely hopeful that once Theresa May has considered the medical evidence that it’s compelling and makes the case that Gary’s life is at risk if he was to be extradited.” McKinnon is said to be in danger of suicide if extradited.

Burrowes is pushing for trial in the UK. “The reality is it’s about justice, that this country should determine his guilt and sentence, and he shouldn’t need to be extradited to the US for that,” he said.

Gary is pictured with his mother Janis Sharp at a May Day Bank Holiday 2010 balloon release event near the Houses of Parliament.

Published: 25 May 2011