A MAN who hacked into NASA computers will launch a last-ditch effort in Britain's High Court to avoid extradition to face charges in the US.Gary McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, has admitted to hacking into 97 US computers from his London home in 2001 and 2002 following the September 11 terror attacks. The 43-year-old claims he was looking for evidence of UFOs and aliens on the high-security computer systems belonging to the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Department of Defence.
Former home secretary Jacqui Smith granted requests for Mr McKinnon's extradition in October 2008, with the Crown Prosecution Service backing up her decision in February. Two High Court judges will now begin a judicial review of the decisions after requests by Mr McKinnon's lawyers who hope he can instead face trial in Britain.
If the unemployed computer administrator is extradited, he faces up to 60 years in jail if found guilty.
However if he stands trial in Britain Mr McKinnon is likely to face a much less severe sentence.
His mother Janis Sharp said she feared for her son's mental health if he was extradited.
| Perhaps you should have been fearing for his mental health at an earlier point in life, Mum ... |
Mr McKinnon's lawyers claim prosecutors failed to take into account medical advice warning that their client could commit suicide if extradited.
| That's not our problem ... |
The Crown Prosecution Service has stood by its decision to recommend extradition. Newly appointed Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was up to prosecutors to decide whether to Mr McKinnon should stand trial in Britain or the US.
Mr McKinnon's attacks on the US Government computers allegedly caused mass chaos and caused an estimated $US900,000 ($A1.15 million) worth of damage. US prosecutor Paul McNulty described it as "the biggest hack of military computers ever - at least ever detected".