DJ wrote viruses that hit 27,000 computers

A disc jockey pleaded guilty yesterday to spreading computer viruses through the internet to tens of thousands of PCs across the world from his home in north Wales.

Simon Vallor, 22, threatened to destroy data on hard drives on 11 November 2001 amid concern about "cyber-terrorism" in the wake of the 11 September attacks on the United States. If anyone opened an infected e-mail, a copy of the virus would be sent to everyone in their address book.

Vallor, a DJ and web designer, was caught with the help of the FBI in Baltimore, who passed his details to Scotland Yard's computer crime unit. The unit found that a person using the name "Gobo" had claimed to have written the GoKar virus in a number of postings in chatrooms.

Police traced Vallor through his BT internet account, which was registered at his home in Llandudno. Officers raided his home and arrested him.

At Bow Street magistrates' court in central London yesterday, Vallor admitted releasing three viruses, called "Redesi", "GoKar" and "Admirer", which affected 27,000 computers in 42 countries. He spoke only to confirm his name during the 15-minute hearing.

Rachel Cooper, for the defence, said her client had no previous convictions and was of good character. A charge of possessing an indecent image of children was withdrawn.

District Judge Nicholas Evans told Vallor he would get credit for pleading guilty to the charges. He ordered pre-sentence reports and committed him on unconditional bail to Southwark Crown Court at a date to be fixed.

Vallor left the court without comment but on his website he said it would be unjust to give him a prison sentence. "I caused no harm, endangered no one, hurt no one, damaged nothing yet I may very well be going to prison, while there are drink-drivers, rapists, even murderers who get let off," he wrote in an online diary at the end of October.

Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at the antivirus company Sophos, welcomed the conviction for sending a warning to others. "It's encouraging that people who write viruses are being told through this case that if you distribute them then it's against the law," he said.