Sentencing of hackers is delayed

Two hackers facing jail for helping to spread a global virus must wait another week to be sentenced.

Andrew Harvey, 24, of Sherburn Village, and Jordan Bradley, 22, of Darlington, both County Durham, admitted a conspiracy charge in May.

They were arrested in February 2003 following a joint investigation by specialist hi-tech crime officers in Britain and the United States.

They had been due to be sentenced on Friday but the hearing was adjourned.

Internet worm

Harvey, of Meldon Avenue, Sherburn Village, and Bradley, of Bates Avenue, Darlington, admitted conspiracy to cause unauthorised modification of computers with intent between 31 December 2001 and 7 February 2003.

When they appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Beatrice Bolton warned them: "The reality here is that the likely sentence is a custodial one."

The arrests were witnessed by officers from the US Computer and Technology Crime Hi-tech team which flew in from southern California.

At the time they were accused of being part of an international hacking group calling itself THr34t-Krew which created an Internet worm to infect computers across the world.

As part of the investigation, another man was arrested in Illinois, USA, in February 2003.

The hearing will now take place on 7 October.