Aspergers sufferer accused of hacking wins appeal against extradition

A man accused of computer hacking has won a case at the High Court of England and Wales against an extradition request from the US.

Lauri Love, 33, from Suffolk, was arrested in 2013 on suspicion of hacking into the US Central Bank, the FBI and NASA.

But appeal judges said that extradition would be “oppressive by reason of his physical and mental condition” as Mr Love has Aspergers syndrome and suffers from depression.

They called on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute him in England.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and Mr Justice Ouseley said that Mr Love “did not seek impunity for the acts alleged against him, but contended that he should be tried and, if convicted, sentenced in the United Kingdom”.

They said: “We accept that the evidence shows that the fact of extradition would bring on severe depression, and that Mr Love would probably be determined to commit suicide, here or in America.”

Mr Love is accused of stealing data from the agencies in a number of online attacks conducted between 2012 and 2013.

The judges urged prosecutors to liaise with US authorities because of “the gravity of the allegations in this case, and the harm done to the victims”.

The US has 14 days to lodge a request for an appeal at the UK Supreme Court.

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