Should Gary McKinnon be tried in the US

[Relyt]

From a financial stand point, I definitely don't want him here. It will cost $$$ to get him over here, it will cost a fortune for a trial, and about 60-70K a year to house his butt in jail once he's Bubba Bait. That comes out of my pocket. So UK please just handle it.

cheers

[nihil]

Hey Relyt ,

From a financial stand point, I definitely don't want him here. It will cost $$$ to get him over here, it will cost a fortune for a trial, and about 60-70K a year to house his butt in jail once he's Bubba Bait

Correct, apart from the politics, there is a big financial issue. The cost and lack of evidence is what stopped the British CPS going ahead in the first instance.

The US claims for "costs" would be ripped to shreds in minutes in a British appeal court. Trust me, I know just how difficult it is to prove consequential loss/damages even in a civil case. That is why they generally degenerate into back room dealings between insurance companies

Now, we get to the nitty gritty.................$700,000? not to mention other different figures that have been bandied around. The defence could (quite rightly) demand that the figure be audited. Naturally that would require auditors for the defence and auditors for the prosecution.

Double staffed at quadruple rate? and who gets to pay for that?

It would only take one bit of "creative accountancy" to be detected, and the whole house of cards would collapse.

The first move has to be for the USA to provide sufficient evidence for us to close the UK side of this issue?

Otherwise, perhaps George.W.Bush would like to bring a private prosecution under UK law, in his capacity of supreme commander in chief?

Please also consider this: Those sites were as open as a store front after a disaster.........looters are everywhere, and you catch a guy with a looted TV............... do you then charge him with stealing everything that was stolen in the town that day?

If this was a very competent person, it would only have been him; that could easily be proven, and the whole issue would have been resolved in 4 months, not 4 years

[Vorlin]

Remember the american tourist that spraypainted some cars in Singapore (I think, it was years ago). Seems we didn't get a chance to extradite him. I also remember of a drunk diplomat who, in DC, was speeding all over God's creation, destroyed people's private property (off-roading in a Mercedes?), ended up running several off the road before plowing into another car, killing more than one of the occupants. What happened? We didn't get to do crap to him because of "Diplomatic Immunity" yet that tourist/student/whatever gets publicly caned.

[Relyt]

Originally posted here by nihil
Hey Relyt ,

...the whole issue would have been resolved in 4 months, not 4 years

Hey Nihil,

Amen! If we had an offense in the way back then, then seems to me that a "speedy trial" would have proved benefical. However to spend money out of my pocket to fly his stinky arse over here, really fires me up. It is pure stupidity on our part to be so concerned about it now - 4 years later. What possible value would it serve to spend a ton of money on a trial etc., for something that no longer applies. Any damage caused by his viewing etc., has long since been abated. Would a trial act as a deterent to future deviants. No. Has it ever? But we can be assured that they will always attempt to break in. Do with him what the UK wants.

cheers

[nihil]

Hmmmm,

Our authorities certainly need to get together and work out a mechanism for enforcing these laws that they have agreed to. That certainly seems to have been lacking?

If the US provide the UK with the evidence then we can wrap up our end of things. That would leave the US offences to be dealt with, but the guy would presumably plea bargain and that would minimise the costs?

The real problem would seem to be that the security was so lax it will be hard to actually prove who did what damage.



EDIT: It looks like you guys are going to have to pay? I cannot even submit tax returns right now

And our version of the IRS' helpdesk is choked with people complaining that they cannot file their tax returns..............I hope someone else finds that as amusing as I do

[romanticcowboy]

this doesn't surprise me , anyone with half a brain involved in some area of computers has known for years that government computer networks are insecure ,most times the door into the networks is thru something as harmless as us navys personnel server ,the systems that are in everyday use cant be secured in the way they ought to be because the higher up admirals and generals order the security officers to lax security restrictions because they cant be bothered to remember passwords and user names , i saw a bit of it in my time in the marine corps