Richard O’Dwyer, 23, a computer science undergraduate at Sheffield Hallam University, is accused of criminal copyright infringement by American authorities.
The case comes amid deepening concern over Britain’s extradition treaty with the United States, which allows suspects to be handed over without the courts considering the evidence. A Home Office review was started in September in response to the outcry over the attempted extradition of Gary McKinnon, a computer expert with Asperger’s syndrome who hacked into Pentagon systems to look for UFO technology.
Mr O’Dwyer appeared at a preliminary hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week. Until last November he ran TVShack, a popular website offering lists of links to other websites that carried unlawful copies of the latest Hollywood blockbusters and television hits such as The Hangover and Lost.
Mr O’Dwyer’s mother Julia, from Chesterfield, said her “quiet” son was initially arrested and questioned last November, when police officers arrived unannounced at his student accommodation with two US agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department.
Mr O’Dwyer’s mother Julia, from Chesterfield, said her “quiet” son was initially arrested and questioned last November, when police officers arrived unannounced at his student accommodation with two US agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department.
He answered bail on May 23, when new charges were laid. Before his family could pay the £3,000 bail, he was handcuffed and spent a night in Wandsworth prison..
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