Extradition treaty 'a betrayal' of British citizens

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Gary McKinnon's mother has said the UK-US extradition treaty is "one of the biggest betrayals of British citizens" ever made.

Appearing before the home affairs committee, Janis Sharp said she felt the new government had made pre-election pledges that her son could be tried in Britain.

"I am sure these people would not use a vulnerable man to be re-elected, that would be horrendous," she said.

She added: "I am sure they will have the strength to say to America, 'no'."

"Everyone here and all of our politicians have an absolute duty to stand up for their citizens.

"I am hoping the pre election promises would be kept and Gary will be kept here."

Sharp attacked the treaty, which was signed in 2003, as one of the "biggest betrayals of British citizens" she could think of.

"I don’t understand why our government signed our rights away," she told MPs.

The committee is conducting a one off inquiry into the US-UK extradition treaty, which many have claimed makes it harder for Britain to extradite someone from the United States than it is for the United States to extradite someone from Britain.

Keith Vaz, the chair of the committee, revealed that just 3 Americans had been brought to Britain under the Act since 2004 whereas 28 had gone the other way.

The government is currently conducting its own review into whether the treaty needs to be changed.

McKinnon, who is accused of hacking into American government computers in 2001 and 2002, suffers from Asperger's syndrome.

Sharp told the committee that the stress caused by the ordeal had left her son in a state of "terror" and had caused his mental health to deteriorate.

"Gary has been in this terror for many, many years," she said. "There is nothing else in my life apart from making my son stay here, I can not even explain to you how bad it is."

She added: "A virtual death sentence or a real one is not acceptable."

And she questioned why the United States felt the need to pursue the case of a man who hacked their computers from his bedroom in North London so vigorously, "are they short of terrorists?" she asked.

"I really believe that America wants Gary as an example of computer crime," she said.

"Gary also embarrassed them, he left lots of notes on their computers saying their security was non existent.

"He embarrassed them, they had no passwords they had no firewalls.”

She added: "American doesn't like to lose, they like to win. They see it almost as a game, we win at all costs."

This morning it was revealed that Gordon Brown unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Obama administration to allow alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon to serve any sentence in Britain.

The leaked diplomatic cable from America's ambassador, Louis Sussman, revealed that the then prime minister had attempted to strike a deal. The United States rejected the proposal.

The cable read: "In August, PM Brown, in a one-on-one meeting with the Ambassador, proposed a deal: that McKinnon plead guilty, make a statement of contrition, but serve any sentence of incarceration in the UK. Brown cited deep public concern that McKinnon, with his medical condition, would commit suicide or suffer injury in imprisoned in a U.S. facility."

Sharp said she was "surprised and very pleased" to learn that Brown had personally intervened in an attempt to stop the extradition.

But she said she was also surprised at the American reaction and that had the "boot been on the other foot" the British government would have said "of course, this is what friends do"

Vaz revealed the American ambassador had declined an invitation to appear before the committee.