Computer hacker Gary McKinnon wept tears of relief yesterday after it was decided he would face no criminal action in Britain.
The decision followed a review of the case after the UK Government’s decision to block his extradition to the United States in October on health grounds.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC said a joint panel of the Crown Prosecution Service and police had decided there should not be a new criminal investigation. Mr McKinnon would have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted in the US.
The 46-year-old Scot, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, was permitted to stay in the UK after medical reports showed he was highly likely to try to kill himself if extradited.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who held talks on the case with US President Barack Obama, and his deputy, Nick Clegg, had condemned plans to send Mr McKinnon to the US.
The decision not to extradite “disappointed” the US authorities, but a statement from the US Department of Justice following the announcement stressed its “continuing collaboration with the CPS and British law enforcement authorities on a wide range of shared concerns”.
Mr McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, said: “I feel fantastic, it’s just wonderful.
“The next thing I would like to get, impossible though it seems, would be a pardon from President Obama.
“I think it’s possible because I think Obama seems like a good person, and so does his wife.”
Mr McKinnon’s lawyer, Karen Todner, said: “I have mixed feelings about this. I am pleased he is not going to be prosecuted, because I wouldn’t want to think he would ever spend any time in prison given his mental situation.
“But I am disappointed because the extradition warrant is still outstanding, because he can’t travel anywhere outside of the UK and will have this hanging over him until it’s resolved.”