WW2 code breaker Alan Turing given pardon

The family of Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing visited Downing Street today to demand pardons for 49 thousand men who were persecuted for being gay.

Turing killed himself just two years after being convicted for homosexuality. He received a royal pardon in 2013.

A petition has been signed by half a million people including Benedict Cumberbatch who played the mathematician in the Imitation Game.

Click below to see Bob Constantine's report.

The family of Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing - who was played on the big screen by Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game - have been at Downing Street today to demand the Government pardons 49,000 other men persecuted for their homosexuality.

Turing, whose work cracking the German military codes was vital to the British war effort against Nazi Germany, was convicted in 1952 for gross indecency with a 19-year-old man. He was chemically castrated, and two years later died from cyanide poisoning in an apparent suicide.

He was given a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 and campaigners want the Government to pardon all the men convicted under the same outdated law.

Turing's great-nephew, Nevil Hunt, his great-niece, Rachel Barnes, and her son, Thomas, have handed over the petition, which was signed by almost half-a-million people.

A letter sent from Alan Turing to his mathematician friend Norman Routledge shows the codebreaker's worries and "distress" ahead of pleading guilty to gross indecency in 1952.

An excerpt from the communication is printed on the website Letters of Note, citing a Turing biography by Andrew Hodges.

Alan Turing revealed he was gay to the authorities by falling for an "old police trick," New Statesman legal writer David Allen Green reports.

Reporting a theft to police in 1952, Turing was forced to fabricate details of the account to conceal his relationship with a man.

Asked to repeat the account a week later by police, Turing was unable to accurately remember some of those fabricated details, Allen Green writes.

On realising his lies had been exposed, the brilliant mathematician produced a five-page letter admitting untruths as well as describing graphic details of his homosexual relationship.

The statement was enough for police to convict Turing and arrest his partner.

Read: How codebreaker Turing helped save Britain in WWII

Second World Warcode-breaker Alan Turing has been given a posthumous royal pardon for a 61-year-old conviction for homosexual activity.

Dr Turing, who was pivotal in breaking the Enigma code, arguably shortening the Second World War by at least two years, was chemically castrated following his conviction in 1952.

His conviction for "gross indecency" led to the removal of his security clearance and meant he was no longer able to work for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) where he had continued to work following service at Bletchley Park during the war.

Dr Turing, who died aged 41 in 1954 and is often described as the father of modern computing, has been granted a pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy by the Queen following a request from Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.

"Dr Alan Turing was an exceptional man with a brilliant mind," Mr Grayling said.

David Cameron has paid tribute to Alan Turing for his role in "saving Britain in World War Two" after the famous code-breaker was awarded a a posthumous royal pardon.

The Prime Minister said: "Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War Two by cracking the German Enigma code.

"His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the father of modern computing."

Dr Alan Turing died of cyanide poisoning and an inquest recorded a verdict of suicide, although his mother and others maintained his death was accidental.

There has been a long campaign to clear the mathematician's name, including a well-supported e- petition and private member's bill, along with support from leading scientists such as Sir Stephen Hawking.

The pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy will come into effect today.

The Justice Secretary has the power to ask the Queen to grant a pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, for civilians convicted in England and Wales.

A pardon is only normally granted when the person is innocent of the offence and where a request has been made by someone with a vested interest such as a family member.

But on this occasion a pardon has been issued without either requirement being met.

Read: WW2 code-breaker Alan Turing given posthumous Royal Pardon

Ed Miliband has spoken of his "delight" that Alan Turing has received a Royal Pardon.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, the Labour leader posted:

Read:Who was the code-breaker who helped save Britain in WW2?

News of the royal pardon granted posthumously to Alan Turing has been applauded as a "just reward" for the code-breaker.

Iain Stewart, Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South, who was involved in the campaign to secure a royal pardon, said: "Alan Turing was an incredibly important figure in our history. He was the father of computer science and the originator of the dominant technology of the late 20th century."

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that the granting of the royal pardon was "long overdue" and called for the same treatment to be given to others convicted in similar circumstances.

He said: "Singling out Turing just because he is famous is wrong. Unlike Alan, many thousands of ordinary gay and bisexual men who were convicted under the same law have never been offered a pardon and will never get one.

"An apology and pardon is due to another 50,000-plus men who were also convicted of consenting, victimless homosexual relationships during the 20th century."

Read: Miliband 'delighted' at Royal Pardon for Turing

The Cambridge mathematician Alan Turing who saved thousands of lives through his code breaking work in the Second World War, is expected to be given a parliamentary pardon.

Turing, who was prosecuted and convicted over his homosexuality in the 1950s, has already received a posthumous apology.

The MP for Milton Keynes South, Iain Stewart, says a pardon would be 'a final cleansing of the wrong' done to Turing, as Alistair Nelson reports.