UK: Trade to appeal Libor conviction on Asperger’s grounds

Tom Hayes, the Libor trader sentenced to more than a decade in prison for his attempts to manipulate the benchmark, is launching an appeal.

The former  trader, nicknamed Rain Main by his colleagues, believes he was treated unfairly in court because of his diagnosis with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.

Hayes’s solicitor Karen Todner submitted his appeal to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. She said in a January 31 statement that Hayes “has been the subject of a gross miscarriage of justice”.

“I am confident that the CCRC will agree and refer the case back to the Court of Appeal,” she added.

Her letter raised the issue of Hayes’ Asperger’s diagnosis, and referred to a statement issued jointly by experts on the syndrome: “Mr Hayes conviction raises real concerns about the treatment of autistic people in the criminal justice system.”

Hayes was the first individual to be handed a criminal conviction for manipulating the London interbank offered rate, a benchmark that helps to determine interest rates on mortgages and big corporate loans.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in August 2015, a punishment later reduced to 11 years by the Court of Appeal.

Full Content: Reuters

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