McKinnon extradition inches closer

The extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon to the US drew a step closer this week as it emerged that the home secretary signed off on the agreement to hand him over to American prosecutors. I spoke with Gary's legal team earlier on, and they have said it's a serious blow to his hopes of remaining in Britain - but that they will appeal against the decision, and could potentially go on to the House of Lords or even Europe in their attempt to keep him. Of course, nobody on either side is saying Gary shouldn't stand trial - but the defence says that Britain has its own laws to prosecute computer crime, and that the American punishment (70 years is the mooted maximum) is disproportionate. What do you think?