Heavy jail terms for British members of global hacking gang

Some of the longest ever jail sentences for hacking were handed down to four British members of the global computer hackers' gang LulzSec, who masterminded a string of sophisticated cyberattacks on major institutions from their bedrooms.

The four bragged of being gods and caused millions of pounds of damage in a three-month spree in 2011.

The 32-month and 30-month sentences for, respectively, Ryan Cleary, 21, of Wickford in Essex and Iraqi war veteran Ryan Ackroyd, 26, of Mexborough in Yorkshire were among the most severe handed down by a British court for such offences. Jake Davis, 20, of Lerwick in Shetland, who acted as group spokesman, received a 24-month sentence in a young offenders' institution - equal to the previous longest given in 2003 to virus-writer Simon Vallor. All will serve at least half their sentences.

Another member of the group, Mustafa al-Bassam, 18, of Peckham in south London, received a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, and 300 hours' community service.

Only James Jeffery, 27, a member of hacking collective Anonymous and an anti-abortion campaigner, has received a 32-month sentence before, for stealing the details of 10,000 women from Britain's largest pregnancy advisory clinic.