Father's fury as British 'superhacker' with Asperger's is facing 99 years in a US jail after a judge rules he SHOULD be extradited 'for stealing data from Nasa and the FBI'
- Lauri Love, 31, allegedly broke into US Government computers from UK
- Judge rules he should face trial in US and could suffer 99 year jail term
- His father Reverend Alexander Love fears the process could kill his son
- His case is 'almost identical' to that of fellow hacker Gary McKinnon
Mr Love will require High Court win or intervention by the Home Secretary
A British alleged superhacker should be extradited to the United States to face trial where he could be jailed for 99 years, a judge ruled today.
Asperger's sufferer Lauri Love, 31, allegedly hacked huge amounts of data from US agencies including the Federal Reserve, Nasa and the FBI between 2012 and 2013.
British judge Nina Tempia today agreed with the American authorities and ruled the 31-year-old, who lives with his parents near Newmarket in Suffolk, should face a cyber-hacking trial in America.
Mr Love, who will appeal to the High Court, said after today's judgment:
'If you have come for justice then you have missed it'.
His father Reverend Alexander Love added: 'It is not fair or just that a boy with mental health issues is taken away from his family and support network to the US. It is wrong. Our confidence is not in the legal system but in God'.
His case is 'almost identical' to that of fellow hacker Gary McKinnon, whose extradition was blocked by then Home Secretary Theresa May in 2012.
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| Lauri Love 31 With Asperger's Syndrome Extradition Hearing |
'I'm going to extradite Mr Love but what I mean by that is I'm going to send his case to the Secretary of State,' Judge Tempia told the hearing.
He faces a possible 99-year prison sentence if convicted in America - but has the right to appeal against his extradition.
There were gasps in the court room as Mr Love was read the ruling, which followed a case hearing in June at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
He was told he had 14 days to appeal the decision.
The 31-year-old embraced friends and family, who appeared shocked and angry by the decision.
'If you have come for justice then you have missed it,' Mr Love told a crowd of press in the courtroom afterwards.
His father damned the laws that could see his son sent to America.
Reverend Alexander Love, a prison chaplain, said he often feared he would find his son, who has been deemed a high suicide risk by medical experts, dead when he returned home.
He said: 'I am obviously very upset. I always believed that to be here [in the UK] was to have won the lottery and I thought our laws were just.
'The judge has made a judgement on a law that is flawed. It is not right that my son has been taken away. It is not fair or just that a boy with mental health issues is taken away from his family and support network to the US.
'It is wrong and I hope the high court will be able to make that case. Our confidence is not in the legal system but in God.
'We have had a big discussion about who should be let into this country, but we need to have one about who should be taken out'.
Mr Love's solicitor, Karen Todner, confirmed that they would be appealing against the result.
She said: 'This is not the end of the road, we are going to lodge an appeal, we are still hopeful the appeal will be successful in the High Court.'
Mr Love stood in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court, wearing a purple sash as a belt, as district judge Nina Tempia ruled he can be extradited to the US, where he could face the possibility of three separate trials in different jurisdictions.
WHAT NEXT FOR 'SUPERHACKER' LAURI LOVE?
Struggle: Lauri Love's family fear he will kill himself if sent to America to face trial without the support of his family
Struggle:
Lauri Love will have to mount a fresh High Court challenge to stop his extradition to the US.
After today's ruling Home Secretary Amber Rudd will be asked to agree or block the US extradition request.
If she agrees to the request he must go to America Mr Love's legal team can go to the High Court seeking a judicial review of the home secretary's decision not to block his transfer.
The Home Secretary has 14 days to respond before a judge considers it.
If he or she sides with Mr Love then he is likely to stay in the UK.
If he loses, a final appeal to the Supreme Court could be lodged before only a direct intervention from the Home Secretary could save him.
In 2012 fellow hacker Gary McKinnon had his extradition blocked by then Home Secretary Theresa May in 2012.
Outside Westminster Magistrate's Court, supporters blocked the road, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Playing music and dancing, they chanted 'no love for the US gov', while angry commuters beeped their horns and gestured at them to move.
They were eventually moved on by police.
Judge Tempia said Mr Love's rights under article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to a private and family life - were 'clearly engaged'.
But she added: 'In balancing the factors for and against extradition I am satisfied that the very strong counter-balancing factors required to find extradition would be disproportionate are not found in this case.'
She said Mr Love faces 'extremely serious charges for offences of computer hacking' and while she acknowledged his physical and mental health issues, she was 'satisfied' his needs would met by US authorities.
She added: 'I am satisfied Mr Love's extradition would be compatible with his convention rights and I send this case to the Secretary of State for her decision as to whether or not Mr Love should be extradited.'
Outside court Mr Love's solicitor Karen Todner said they were 'extremely disappointed' with the decision.
'Most of this judgment is about the defence case, the prosecution didn't actually call any evidence,' she told a huge pack of reporters.
'This is not the end of the road, we are going to lodge an appeal, we are still hopeful the appeal will be successful in the High Court.'
Ahead of Friday's hearing, Mr Love said he held little hope of justice if he was extradited, and suggested a jail term in the US could cause his health to deteriorate and would lead to a mental breakdown or suicide.
He and his family want him to face justice in the UK rather than the US, which he said 'coerces' people into pleading guilty to get reduced sentences.
How vulnerable British 'hacker' deemed a suicide risk could be condemned to life in a US jail
Lauri Love could spend decades in prison if he is extradited and convicted of hacking into US Government computers, his lawyers have said.
The 31-year-old has spoken of his fears about extradition, saying he holds little hope for justice in the US, and suggested a jail term there could cause his health to deteriorate and would lead to a mental breakdown or suicide.
Mr Love, from Suffolk and who has Asperger Syndrome, had hoped his case would set a 'positive' precedent, allowing him to be tried at home in the UK.
Speaking ahead of the extradition ruling, Mr Love told the Press Association: 'I don't think that any humane person would send someone to the US prison system, especially someone who is not from America and has never been there.
'If this precedent prevents that from happening again I think that's a very positive statement.'
Tor Ekeland, Mr Love's US lawyer and an expert in hacking cases, said he feared the American justice system would 'destroy his life'.
That life has been a complicated one. Mr Love's parents recognised his remarkable intelligence from a young age, the prison chaplain and his wife dazzled by their son's brilliance.
But the Reverend Alexander Love admitted that his exceptional mind blinded them to his problems, which became pronounced in his teenage years when the family moved home.
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| Gary McKinnon with his mum |
