Gary McKinnon will not face hacking charges in the UK

Gary McKinnon will not face criminal charges in the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Friday.

Director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, announced the decision on Friday, which means that no criminal investigation into McKinnon's confessed computer hacking will take place in the UK.

"The joint CPS/police panel recommended to the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police that he should not commence a new criminal investigation into Mr McKinnon," a statement from the CPS reads.

"The assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has accepted that advice."

Today's announcement, which draws to a close McKinnon's decade-long legal ordeal, means that McKinnon will face no criminal charges in the UK and can finally put the whole thing to rest.

This follows home secretary Theresa May's decision that McKinnon should not be extradited to the US for admittedly accessing US military and NASA networks. If May had decided otherwise, McKinnon, who is now 46, could have faced up to 60 years' imprisonment in the US.

The US Department of Justice said in a statement that it was not very happy with May's decision.

"The US is disappointed by the UK home secretary's decision not to extradite Gary McKinnon, particularly given the past decisions of the UK courts and prior home secretaries that he should face trial in the US," it said at the time.