Extradition of British student to US approved

Richard O'Dwyer faces being sent to the US for trial (AFP/Getty Images)

A British student has been "sold down the river" by the government, his mother says, after his extradition was approved by the Home Secretary Theresa May.

Richard O'Dwyer, inset, faces 10 years in jail if convicted by a US court after he was accused of breaking copyright law by providing access to pirated material online via his website TVShack. His mother Julia O'Dwyer accused the government of "paving the way" for American prosecutors to come for the "young, old and the ill". She added: "Today, yet another British citizen is being sold down the river by the British Government. Richard's life, his studies, work opportunities, financial security, is being disrupted, for who knows how long, because the UK Government has not introduced the much needed changes to the extradition law.

"The Home Secretary wants to send him thousands of miles away and leave him languishing, just like Chris Tappin [extradited last month], in a US jail, before he has a chance to demonstrate his innocence."

Mr O'Dwyer, 23, allegedly made £147,000 from his site, although no charges were brought in the UK.