Is Gary McKinnon really a computer nerd?

I find it rather tiresome that certain elements of the media and several "D" list celebrities are playing up Gary McKinnon's disabilities and continually describing him as just a computer nerd. I appreciate that we have a totally unbalanced extradition treaty with the U.S. courtesy of the present Labour Government, which should never have negotiated it in such unequal terms, but the facts of the matter remain. Mr McKinnon hacked into the computers of NASA and the Pentagon - probably two of the most important and sensitive computer systems in the United States. The fact that he was able to do this clearly shows he was far from incapable. Did he not think that this quest for UFO information was being obtained illegally and as such, once caught a prosecution would surely follow? He has committed an illegal act and now, plain and simple, he must deal with the consequences and face trial in the U.S.