Original Title:Computer Pioneer Alan Turing Pardoned of ‘Gross Indecency’ Alan Turing, the British mathematician who laid the theoretical groundwork for modern computing and cracked coded messages from the Nazis, received a royal pardon on Tuesday. Turing was convicted under a late 19th-century law that criminalized homosexuality. He was forced to undergo chemical castration in 1952. U.K. Justice Minister Chris Grayling requested the pardon, calling the sentence “unjust and discriminatory.” Said Grayling: “Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science.”