
According to a report in The Guardian, his lawyers have now approached the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offering a guilty plea to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, given that the offence was committed in Britain. If convicted, McKinnon could be less likely to be extradited to the US.
The CPS has said it is considering the matter.
McKinnon has never denied hacking, but has claimed that he was not motivated by malice and was simply looking for evidence of the existence of UFOs. The US government claims he deleted files and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
McKinnon has consistently tried to avoid extradition, but an appeal to the Law Lords was rejected in July last year, following a similar rejection from the High Court in 2006.