Prosecutors urge two-year sentence for Sasser creator

German prosecutors are seeking a suspended two-year sentence for the teenager who has admitted he created last year’s “Sasser” computer worm, court officials said today.

In closing arguments today, prosecutors asked that Sven Jaschan be found guilty and be handed the youth detention centre sentence, which he would have to serve if he committed another infraction in the next three years, court spokeswoman Katharina Kruetzfeld said.

The trial of the 19-year-old was being held behind closed doors in the north-western town of Verden because he was a minor at the time of the offence.

The defence asked for a suspended 12-month sentence, Kruetzfeld said.

The trial started earlier this week, and a verdict was expected tomorrow.

During the process, Jaschan “admitted to the alleged offences in every detail,” Kruetzfeld said previously. Jaschan also confessed when arrested in May 2004 to creating the worm, authorities said.

Jascan was arrested at his family’s home after Microsoft received a tip from an informant seeking a reward. Exploiting a flaw in the company’s Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems, the worm had raced around the world and caused some computers to crash continually and reboot.

Authorities who questioned Jaschan said they believed his motive had been to gain fame as a programmer.