Accused Brit hacker Lauri Love will NOT be extradited to America

Accused hacker Lauri Love will not be extradited to United States to stand trial, the High Court of England and Wales ruled today.

In a judgment handed down by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, upheld both of Love's grounds for appealing against District Judge Nina Tempia's 2016 order for him to be extradited to the US to stand trial were supported.

The grounds were that Love's alleged crimes were committed in the UK, meaning the forum bar – section 83B of the Extradition Act 2003 – was engaged, preventing his extradition abroad to stand trial.

In addition, Love argued that extradition would be "oppressive by reason of his physical and mental health".

Cheers broke out from Love's 50 or so supporters, who packed themselves into the well of Court 4 at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, to hear the Lord Chief Justice deliver the judgment. As soon as the judge read the sentence "the extradition will not go ahead," the rest of his judgment was drowned out by the happy crowd.

Frowning, the judge barked: "Silence! This is a court of law."

"We allow the appeal on both those grounds," he continued once everyone had quietened down. "The extradition will not take place."

The extradition order has been formally quashed and no costs order was made against Love because his appeal was legally aided.

Crown Prosecution Service barrister Peter Caldwell, who argued in favour of Love's extradition on behalf of the US government, was not present in court to hear the outcome of Love's appeal.

The Reverend Alexander Love, Lauri's father, appeared close to tears as the judgment was delivered. Love himself, wearing his customary tieless dark suit with unfastened collar, grinned and started shaking the forest of hands immediately offered to him by supporters. ®

For analysis of the judgment: click here.