GTA 6 hacker's hospital prison sentence explained

The notorious GTA 6 hacker has been given an indefinite hospital sentence by a UK court. According to a BBC news report on December 21, 2023, the London-based court has issued its verdict against 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, a resident of Oxford, who was found guilty of breaching the internal servers of various organizations, including Rockstar Games.

After facing a trial that lasted over a year, Arion has now received his sentence. This article briefly explains the case and the reason behind the verdict.

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What does GTA 6 hacker’s hospital prison sentence mean?

Hospital sentences are handed out to criminals who are unfit for regular punishment and require special care and observation. The GTA 6 hacker Arion Kurtaj was found to be autistic during this trial, forcing the Southwark Crown Court in London to change its modus operandi for the case.

The court only instructed jury members to determine whether Kurtaj was responsible for the crime (not whether he had criminal intent), and the verdict was that he was guilty. According to the BBC report, the GTA 6 leaker underwent a mental health assessment where he expressed his desire to return to cybercrime as soon as possible.

The report further explained that Arion would be kept in a secure hospital for the rest of his life under doctor observation. Although it did not mention the facility's name, the hacker will remain there until doctors certify that he is no longer a threat to society.

According to the Southwark Crown Court, Arion Kurtaj was violent during his custody, with multiple reports of property damage and injury. Considering these factors and his cyber skills, the court ordered the hacker to be monitored and undergo the necessary treatment.

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Arion Kurtaj and the GTA 6 leaks

Arion Kurtaj was part of a hacker group called Lapsus$. He, along with a 17-year-old male, carried out multiple cyber attacks on tech giants such as Uber, Nvidia, and Microsoft. The former was kept under police observation in a Travelodge hotel in Bicester, England, from where he executed the notorious GTA 6 leaks in September 2022.

According to another BBC report, the hacker used an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a smartphone, a keyboard, and a mouse to infiltrate the Rockstar Games servers. After doing so, he stole around 90 unfinished clips of Grand Theft Auto 6 and released them on GTA Forums, a fan website.

While the American gaming studio initially stated that the leaks did not hinder their workflow, the latest BBC report on the matter disclosed that in court, Rockstar Games claimed to have spent $5 million and thousands of hours of manpower to recover from the damage.

Nonetheless, Rockstar Games seems to be back on track now that the hacker has been convicted.