Gary McKinnon, the alleged computer hacker, has been refused permission to appeal to Britain's new Supreme Court against extradition to the US on charges of breaking into the Pentagon's military networks, the Daily Telegraph informs October 9.

“The Court decided the case did not raise ''points of law of general public importance'' — a prerequisite of being able to pursue a case at the higher level. Mr McKinnon's lawyers said they would now consider applying the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

They argue that extraditing the 43-year-old, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and says his hacking was aimed at nothing more than searching for reports of UFO sightings, would lead to ‘disastrous consequences’ for his health, including possible psychosis and suicide.

Mr McKinnon, from Wood Green, north London, had challenged Home Office decisions allowing his extradition to go ahead and the refusal of Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, to put him on trial in the UK on charges of computer misuse. A UK trial would allow him to avoid extradition,” the paper reads. Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Mr Justice Wilkie ruled today that there was no point of law involved in the case to justify granting leave to the Supreme Court. They said that in their view, “there was and is no real prospect” of Mr McKinnon’s claim against, Times Online reports.

“US authorities claim McKinnon hacked 97 military computers and caused $800,000 (£487,000) of damage. He admits to hacking into Pentagon computers but denies it was malicious. The hacker has been trying to resist extradition and argues that his case should be tried in the UK,” the source informs.