A New Zealand teenager, who has admitted being part of a global cyber-hacking ring that caused millions of dollars worth of computer damage to businesses, could now be facing a jail sentence.

The teenager, Owen Walker has pleaded guilty to charges of accessing a computer for dishonest purpose, damaging or interfering with a computer system, possessing software for committing crime and accessing a computer system without authorisation.

The fresh-faced cyber criminal, known on-line as AKILL, was arrested late last year after an 18-month investigation by New Zealand police in collaboration with the FBI and Dutch authorities. The FBI say he infected millions of computers around the world with a virus. The damage has been estimated at more than $26 million.