Hacking accused wins appeal against extradition to United States

Lauri Love -v- The Government of the United States of America & Liberty [2018] EWHC 172 (Admin)

On 5^th February the High Court of England and Wales ruled that a British student, Lauri Love, accused of hacking into US government websites will not be extradited to face trial in America.   

Mr Love, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, successfully argued that there was no reason why he could not face trial in England.  The court also accepted his argument that he might suffer serious damage to his health if he was extradited. 

US authorities wanted Mr Love to be tried in America where he could be sentenced for up to 99 years if convicted.  A spokesperson for Mr Love’s solicitors said,

"It has also been recognised that mental health provisions in US prisons are not adequate to satisfy us that Lauri would not have come to serious harm if he were extradited."

The judgment is considered significant as the case was a test for a legal measure called the forum bar, which was introduced to stop vulnerable British defendants being extradited “in the interests of justice” when their cases could be heard at home instead. 

Read The BBC’s article here.  Commentary from The Law Gazette can be read here.