{"id":933,"date":"2009-11-27T18:08:06","date_gmt":"2009-11-27T18:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/2009\/11\/27\/uk-telegraph\/"},"modified":"2009-11-27T18:08:06","modified_gmt":"2009-11-27T18:08:06","slug":"uk-telegraph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/uk-telegraph\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Telegraph: Gary McKinnon extradition: suicide &#8216;almost inevitable&#8217; psychiatrist warns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\"><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 25px;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"headerOne\"><em><strong>Gary McKinnon, the Pentagon computer hacker, is highly likely to commit suicide if he is extradited to the US, a psychiatrist has warned.<\/strong><\/em> <\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\">\n<p>\nBy Christopher Hope and Andrew Porter<br \/>\nPublished: 9:30AM GMT 27 Nov 2009<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"slideshow\">\n<div class=\"ssImg\" style=\"display: block;\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gary McKinnon extradition: suicide &#39;almost inevitable&#39; psychiatrist warns\" height=\"288\" src=\"http:\/\/i.telegraph.co.uk\/telegraph\/multimedia\/archive\/01445\/_Gary_McKinnon_1445660c.jpg\" width=\"460\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"imageExtras\" style=\"width: 460px;\">\n<span class=\"caption\">Gary McKinnon with his mother Janis Sharp<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"credit\">Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThe medical report said Mr McKinnon, who is known to suffer Asperger\u2019s<br \/>\nsyndrome, a form of autism, also has a \u201cfixed-psychological conviction he<br \/>\nwill kill himself in preference to being extradited\u201d.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe emergency study by consultant psychiatrist Professor Jeremy Turk of St<br \/>\nGeorge&#39;s Hospital, London, said that suicide was now an \u201calmost certain<br \/>\ninevitability\u201d.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"related_links_inline\">\n<div class=\"headerOne\">&#0160;\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"header\">Related Articles<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6670655\/Gary-McKinnon-extradition-being-fast-tracked-by-Labour-to-stop-Tories-reversing-it.html\">McKinnon case &#39;fast-tracked to stop Tories reversing it&#39;<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6665900\/Gary-McKinnon-extradition-mother-attacks-governments-barbaric-decision.html\">Gary McKinnon&#39;s mother attacks &#39;barbaric&#39; decision<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6663920\/Gary-McKinnon-set-to-be-sent-to-America-after-Alan-Johnson-says-he-cannot-block-extradition.html\">Johnson won&#39;t save hacker from extradition<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/debates\/6664650\/Gary-McKinnon-does-Britain-repeatedly-and-unnecessarily-do-Americas-bidding.html\">Britain always does America&#39;s bidding?<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6555302\/Gary-McKinnon-should-not-be-extradited-to-the-US-says-Home-Affairs-commitee.html\">Gary McKinnon should not be extradited to the US, say MPs on Home Affairs committee<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"bullet\">\n<h2>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6488508\/Gary-McKinnons-mother-in-tears-after-snub-from-Alan-Johnson.html\">Gary McKinnon\u2019s mother in tears after snub from Alan Johnson<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nDetails of the report emerged following a decision by Alan Johnson, the Home<br \/>\nSecretary, not to block the extradition on medical grounds, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/newstopics\/politics\/6663920\/Gary-McKinnon-set-to-be-sent-to-America-after-Alan-Johnson-says-he-cannot-block-extradition.html\"><strong>as<br \/>\ndisclosed by <em>The Daily Telegraph<\/em><\/strong><\/a> on Thursday.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr McKinnon\u2019s distraught mother said the Government, and Mr Johnson, &quot;should<br \/>\nhang their heads in shame&quot; over the extradition to face hacking<br \/>\ncharges.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nExtracts of Prof Turk&#39;s report, disclosed in the <em>Daily Mail,<\/em> show that<br \/>\nhe recorded in September that Mr McKinnon, 43, suffered from a &quot;&#39;very<br \/>\nserious Major Depressive Disorder&#8230;. aggravated and complicated by anxiety<br \/>\nand panic attacks with multiple psychosomatic symptoms on a background of<br \/>\nhis having Asperger&#39;s syndrome&quot;.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nBut following the failure of Mr McKinnon&#39;s bid to have his case heard at the<br \/>\nSupreme Court, he concluded that he was now &quot;at an even higher risk of<br \/>\nself harm and suicide&quot;, something he said was a &quot;real probability&quot;. <\/p>\n<p>\nMr Johnson, who was shown the report, said that he felt the information he had<br \/>\nseen was \u201cnot materially different from that placed before the High Court<br \/>\nearlier this year\u201d when Mr McKinnon lost his earlier legal challenge.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHe added: \u201cIt is clear from the proceedings to date that Mr McKinnon will not,<br \/>\nif convicted, serve any of his sentence in a supermax prison.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;Should Mr McKinnon be extradited, charged and convicted in the US and seek<br \/>\nrepatriation to the UK to serve a custodial sentence, the Government will of<br \/>\ncourse progress his application at the very earliest opportunity.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe family, who were informed of Mr Johnson&#39;s decision on Thursday, are now<br \/>\nset to apply for a judicial review in a bid to stop his extradition.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe decision was almost universally criticised by opposition MPs, campaigners.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMrs Sharp said: &quot;To force a peaceful, vulnerable, misguided UFO fanatic<br \/>\nlike Gary thousands of miles away from his much-needed support network is<br \/>\nbarbaric.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;This is a cruel and miserable decision.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;If the severity of Gary&#39;s medical condition isn&#39;t sufficient to prevent<br \/>\nhis extradition, I can&#39;t imagine what is. God help others facing a similar<br \/>\nfate. I&#39;m so upset and angry.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nShe added: &quot;Where are the &#39;very real safeguards&#39; that the Government<br \/>\nconsistently hid behind when forcing this appalling Act through Parliament.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;The only people who won&#39;t get extradited are terrorists facing the<br \/>\ndeath sentence, the very people the Act was meant to be about.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;What bitter irony.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMrs Sharp said her legal team would now apply for a judicial review, but if<br \/>\nthat was not granted then her son could be extradited before Christmas.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;What a heartless and cowardly decision this is,&quot; she said.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMrs Sharp wept as she told how she broke the news to Mr McKinnon.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nShe said: \u201cHe was very, very bad. He was very quiet \u2013 and I am more worried<br \/>\nwhen he is quiet. I have got concerns for Gary. Alan Johnson has made the<br \/>\nwrong decision. It is just awful.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr McKinnon&#39;s lawyer, Karen Todner, said: &quot;It&#39;s a devastating blow but we<br \/>\nare not going to give up.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;We are certainly coming to the end of the road.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;We&#39;re just hoping at some point someone sees sense and steps in.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;All the legal team do know is we cannot give up because in some ways<br \/>\nit&#39;s like dealing with a Death Row case, and we genuinely believe that<br \/>\nGary&#39;s life is at stake here.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAnother of his legal team said: \u201cIt is a miserable decision that we<br \/>\nfundamentally disagree with \u2013 he could be gone by Christmas. We are<br \/>\nconsidering all our legal avenues. What does it take for someone not to be<br \/>\nextradited?\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nShe added that she planned to issue judicial review proceedings next week, but<br \/>\nadded: &quot;We are normally allowed three months to issue but the Home<br \/>\nSecretary has only allowed us seven days.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nKeith Vaz MP, the chairman of the home affairs select committee which has<br \/>\npressed Mr Johnson directly not to extradite Mr McKinnon, said: \u201cI am very<br \/>\ndisappointed at this decision. This is the wrong decision for the wrong<br \/>\nreasons.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nLast month Mr Johnson threw a lifeline to Mr McKinnon, who suffers from a form<br \/>\nof autism, with a promise to examine new medical evidence \u201cvery carefully\u201d<br \/>\nbefore deciding on his extradition last month.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHowever in an emailed letter to Mrs Sharp, Mr Johnson is understood to have<br \/>\nsaid that a decision to block the extradition of Mr McKinnon was not in his<br \/>\ncontrol.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nDuring an earlier legal battle in the summer, judges warned Mr McKinnon, who<br \/>\nis accused of hacking into networks at the Pentagon and Nasa from his flat<br \/>\nin north London, might kill himself if he was extradited.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe legal process, which had been paused while Mr Johnson considered the<br \/>\nmedical evidence, will now start again, with legal sources suggesting Mr<br \/>\nMcKinnon could be extradited by Christmas.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr McKinnon\u2019s lawyers can either seek a fresh emergency judicial review of Mr<br \/>\nJohnson\u2019s decision at the High Court within the next seven days or appeal to<br \/>\nthe European Court of Human Rights within the next 14 days.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nDavid Burrowes, the Conservatives\u2019 shadow justice minister and Mr McKinnon\u2019s<br \/>\nlocal MP, said: \u201cIt is extremely disappointing that the repeated calls for<br \/>\ncompassion and justice for Gary have been ignored by the Home Secretary.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;Despite substantial medical grounds giving Alan Johnson the opportunity<br \/>\nto stop the extradition, he has washed his hands of Gary.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;The decision flies in the face of the medical evidence, which showed<br \/>\nthe serious risks to his health and life if extradition was to be granted.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr Vaz added: &quot;The unanimous view of the Home Affairs Select Committee<br \/>\nwas that the Home Secretary has the power to intervene.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;His [Alan Johnson&#39;s] decision has important constitutional implications<br \/>\nif he is not prepared to use his discretion even though he is allowed to so<br \/>\nno matter how narrow the scope.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society which has been<br \/>\ncampaigning on behalf of Mr McKinnon, said: &quot;We are bitterly<br \/>\ndisappointed by the Home Secretary\u2019s decision and feel hugely sympathetic<br \/>\ntowards Gary and his family who have now been living under extreme stress<br \/>\nfor a prolonged period of time.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;People with Asperger syndrome are often much more vulnerable than<br \/>\nappearances would suggest and can be highly susceptible to additional mental<br \/>\nhealth problems.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;On the strength of recently submitted medical evidence and the support<br \/>\nof the Home Affairs committee, we had hoped that Mr Johnson would listen to<br \/>\nthese concerns.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;The National Autistic Society will continue to support Gary and his<br \/>\nfamily during this incredibly difficult time and as the case continues.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr McKinnon, 43, from Wood Green, North London, has insisted that his hacking<br \/>\nof Pentagon computers was nothing more than him searching for reports of UFO<br \/>\nsightings.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHe is being extradited under a treaty which has been criticised because, while<br \/>\nBritish prosecutors must provide details of the evidence against an American<br \/>\ncitizen, US prosecutors need only explain the charges to take a Briton to<br \/>\nAmerica.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr Johnson said: &quot;I have carefully considered the representations in the<br \/>\ncase of Gary McKinnon.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;I am clear that the information is not materially different from that<br \/>\nplaced before the High Court earlier this year and does not demonstrate that<br \/>\nsending Mr McKinnon to the United States would breach his human rights.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;As the courts have affirmed, I have no general discretion. If Mr<br \/>\nMcKinnon&#39;s human rights would be breached, I must stop the extradition. If<br \/>\nthey would not be breached, the extradition must go ahead.&quot;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHe added: &quot;Earlier this year the High Court upheld the extradition<br \/>\nrequest for Mr McKinnon. This was after all proceedings under the<br \/>\nExtradition Act 2003 had been completed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;The High Court dismissed a further challenge by Mr McKinnon that<br \/>\nextradition to the USA would be in breach of his human rights.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;Throughout this process there have been a number of assurances. Firstly<br \/>\ndue to legitimate concerns over Mr McKinnon&#39;s health, we have sought and<br \/>\nreceived assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will<br \/>\nbe met. These were before the High Court in July.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;It is also clear from the proceedings to date that Mr McKinnon will<br \/>\nnot, if convicted, serve any of his sentence in a supermax prison. Finally,<br \/>\nshould Mr McKinnon be extradited, charged and convicted in the US and seek<br \/>\nrepatriation to the UK to serve a custodial sentence, the Government will of<br \/>\ncourse progress his application at the very earliest opportunity.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&quot;I know there is a concern on all sides to see a conclusion to these<br \/>\nproceedings. It is now open to Mr McKinnon&#39;s lawyer to consider their legal<br \/>\noptions. As a consequence I do not propose to comment any further.&quot;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gary McKinnon, the Pentagon computer hacker, is highly likely to commit suicide if he is extradited to the US, a psychiatrist has warned. By Christopher Hope and Andrew Porter Published: 9:30AM GMT 27 Nov 2009 Gary McKinnon with his mother Janis Sharp Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga The medical report said Mr McKinnon, who is known to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}