Suspected cybercriminal, Owen Thron Walker, has appeared in court in New Zealand.

The 18 year old alleged cybercriminal from Whitianga in New Zealand’s North Island, was charged with two counts of accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, two counts of accessing a computer system without permission, and a one count of damaging a computer system as well as possessing hacking software. If Walker is convicted he could face as much as 10 years in the clink.

Police in New Zealand arrested in the boy in November whom they believed to be a ringleader in an international cyber-crime gang.

The group is believed to have brought down the server at the University of Pennsylvania and infiltrated more than a million computers. Police estimate the gang have skimmed $25m in from victims bank accounts by hijacking computers all over the world and networking them to form a botnet.

Walker is believed to have written programs unlike any other, capable of evading normal anti-virus software. Police suspected he then sold it to other hackers. Detectives in NZ, who are working with Dutch detectives and the FBI say the boy (screen name AKILL) is very bright and very skilled in what he is doing.

According to Radio New Zealand, Walker has been released on bail following his appearance in Thames Magistrate’s Court in northern New Zealand.