Steve Brine has warmly welcomed news that Gary McKinnon will not be extradited to the United States, following an announcement in the House of Commons from Home Secretary Theresa May.
Addressing the Chamber on Tuesday 16th October, the Home Secretary made clear that Mr McKinnon, who is accused of computer hacking, would not be sent to the US due to the state of his health. The 46 year-old, who has been battling extradition for ten years, suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, and it was deemed that extradition could lead to his suicide.
Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine said: "I am delighted that Theresa May has made this decision. As a co-chair of the All-Party Group for Autism, I am well aware of the very many issues surrounding both autism and Asperger's, which is a high-functioning form of autism.
"I don't think there is any doubt that Mr McKinnon should be prosecuted, and it has been well-documented that he was looking for evidence of UFOs from his London flat. But for me the balance of extradition has been skewed since the US treaty was signed by the previous Labour government. Gary's mother Janis has been writing to me since my election, and I agree wholeheartedly that it can only be right that Gary now faces justice here in the UK, where the alleged crimes took place."
Had Gary McKinnon been sent to the US, it is likely that prosecutors would have sought a sentence of 60 years.
Pictured; Theresa May kicked off Steve's successful 2010 General Election campaign in The Square