LulzSec Hacker Cleary To Be Released Soon Despite Convictions

LulzSec hacker Ryan Cleary is set to be free soon, despite being convicted for hacking offences and for having indecent images of young children on his computer.

Having already been handed 32 months in prison for his part in attacks on various organisations, including Sony and the US as part of action by the LulzSec hacking crew, Cleary was given community orders for producing indecent images of children.

Due to the amount of time he has already spent in custody and wearing an electronic tag, he will soon be let go, Southwark Crown Court heard. Cleary’s guilty pleas have aided his cause too.

He has spent an equivalent of 18 months and 18 days in custody, according to his defence barrister Ben Cooper. Cooper claimed he would be out soon, indicating the full 32 months will not be served.

Judge Deborah Taylor said she had “taken into account that although the sentencing guideline recommend an immediate custodial sentence, time has been served in any event”, according to the Press Association.

Cleary’s lawyers had claimed that due to his Asperger’s syndrome, Cleary wanted to view everything on the Internet, hence why he viewed and downloaded images from a website used by paedophiles.

It was claimed he downloaded the 172 indecent images in one go and that he was not a “career sexual pervert”.

He has, however, been banned from working with children and will be on the sex offenders register for five years.

:story: TechWeekEurope