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back to article NZ teen botnet mastermind cops a plea

A New Zealand teenager charged with running a huge cybercrime network has pleaded guilty to computer hacking and fraud offences. Owen Thor Walker, 18, admitted six charges including accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, possession of software for committing crime, and accessing computer systems without authorisation, AP …

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  1. Pete
    Stop

    Bah humbug

    Asperger's isn't a disability, it's a gift. The only way he should get out of this one is if he has no sense of moral values, or something of that ilk; social ineptitude is no defense.

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  2. Sam

    So?

    What social skills do you need to stare at a set of bars for the next five years?

    Bang the little turd up, and recover the millions him and his mates stole.

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  3. Toby
    Flame

    FBI says?? hah

    yeah just like the common American is in imminent danger of being suicide bombed and GMO's are good for you, and pirate bay is a severe threat to the western world as we know it....

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  4. Mikey

    Hmm a gift...

    The parents of children such as this who have to home school their children may feel differently.

    Certainly this is partly due to the shortcomings of mainstream education. Much is also due to the nature of the syndrome.

    Also certainly, in this case, he was aware his activities were illegal yet didn't associate them as criminal.

    His immediate guilty plea also helps in sentencing.

    To perhaps highlight the beautiful mind, the investigation showed deposits to this highly focussed and completely self taught boy of around $36,000.

    NZ Dollars that is.

    Yes criminal. And yes, a boy lost in a nasty world.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Where oh where

    Did you get your facts from?

    "netted the gang $20.4m"

    And the judge says he gets off because he has Apergers? Hardly... Anyone netting 20 million from criminal activities goes to jail, end of story.. BTW - where did the .4 million come from? Someone must really know the exact extent to his crimes ey.

    I know AKILL and him and his online buddies did this for fun and not profit, like hundreds of other bot kiddies just like him. He/they may have aspired to earn this much money but they made a few k tops.

    Where, o where, o where do you get these facts from...?

    So, 20 million dollars.. Where is it? Has a big fancy house and car and offshore bank accounts does he? Failed to mention any of that in the reports. These are just stupid figures bandied about by failing reporters.

    Bad Reg Bad.

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