Theresa May refuses to back down on O'Dwyer extradition

UK home secretary Theresa May has confirmed she will not reverse the decision to extradite TVShack found Richard O'Dwyer to the US, despite widespread calls for her to reconsider.

May confirmed her stance during a House of Commons debate on Monday, after being questioned by MP Zac Goldsmith about her intentions.

"The extradition decision has already been taken and as he will know, I have decided to uphold it," said May.

The US is seeking O'Dwyer's extradition for reported cases of copyright infringement via the TVShack website. May's decision means that O'Dwyer's fate will now be decided at his appeal hearing later in the year.

The news follows widespread calls for May to block the extradition.

One of the loudest calls for May to reconsider has come from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, who started a petition on 24 June, claiming the US extradition request infringes on the British citizen's rights.

"Given the thin case against him, it is an outrage that he is being extradited to the US to face felony charges for something that he is not being prosecuted for here," he wrote in the petition.

"No US citizen has ever been brought to the UK for alleged criminal activity that took place on US soil."

Since launching the petition has garnered mass support, breaking past the 200,000 milestone in its opening week.

Prior to May's clarification, the Home Office had told V3 May would not change her stance regarding the extradition, even when faced with the petition.

Despite the news, Julia O'Dwyer - Richard's mother - told V3 in an exclusive interview that the petition was just one of many planned actions to help block the extradition.