The Prime Minister released a statement last night on the Second World War code-breaker, Alan Turing, in which he recognised that his treatment had been "appalling"and "utterly unfair".
Alan Turing, who lived in Wilmslow, was a brilliant mathematician, most famous for breaking the German Enigma codes during the Second World War. In 1999 Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
In 1952 he was convicted of "gross indecency" after admitting to being homosexual. He was sentanced to chemical castration and given a series of injections of female hormones to reduce his sex drive. His security privileges were also withdrawn meaning he could no longer work for the UK Government Communications Headquarters. Turing killed himself two years later aged 41.
Gordon Brown wrote "It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of the World War Two could well have been very different. He was truly one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped turn the tide of the war."
The Prime Minister's statement came in response to a petition launched by John Graham-Cumming, a leading computer expert. The petition calling for an official apology was posted on the Number 10 website and had received over 30,000 signatures, including those of novelist Ian McEwan, Stephen Fry and scientist Richard Dawkins.
Gordon Brown concluded " So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work I am very proud to say: we're sorry, you deserved so much better."
The Prime Minister's statement can be read in full on the Number Ten Website.
