Less than half of IT professionals believe hacker Gary McKinnon should be sent to a US prison if found guilty of his crimes, according to a survey by security vendor Sophos.

McKinnon has lost his appeal and will be extradited to the US to face trial for allegedly hacking into computers belonging to the US Army, US Air Force, Department of Defense and NASA.

The Sophos poll shows that 48 per cent of respondents feel jail is the most appropriate sentence for McKinnon, should he be found guilty, with 42 per cent suggesting a sentence of community service, and just 10 per cent thinking McKinnon should be fined.

'The IT community can't seem to agree about what would be an appropriate punishment in this case, quite possibly because it's still unclear about how much damage Gary McKinnon is alleged to have caused,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

'Let's hope that if McKinnon is found guilty, it will be based on reliable evidence, and that he will be sentenced appropriately for the offences he is alleged to have committed.'

The closely contested poll echoes a previous Sophos survey in July 2006 regarding whether or not McKinnon should be extradited, which saw a near 50/50 split between respondents – 48 per cent were in favour of extradition, with 52 per cent against.