Shamima Begum was sexually exploited by ISIS, appeal hearing told

Published

3 years ago

November 21, 2022

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Shamima Begum, the jihadi bride, was trafficked by ISIS for sexual exploitation, her lawyers have told a hearing to appeal against her deprivation of citizenship.

She launched her main appeal against the decision, with her lawyers telling a tribunal: “Shamima Begum is a young Muslim woman, someone about who everyone can give an opinion.”

Samantha Knights KC, for Ms Begum, told the first of a five-day hearing at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) that they faced an “overwhelming impediment” to make her case.

Her lawyers have compiled a series of experts to give evidence, including doctors and psychologists, who are experts in assessing how the adolescent mind affects judgment.

Ms Begum was a “British child aged 15 who was persuaded by a determined and effective ISIS propaganda machine to follow a pre-existing route and provide a marriage for an ISIS fighter,” Ms Knights told the tribunal.

Her transfer into Syria, across the Turkish border, was assisted by a Canadian double agent, her lawyer added.

Ms Begum, now 23, left Britain with two friends from the Bethnal Green Academy in East London, who are thought to have been killed in the conflict.

She was captured following the collapse of ISIS in January 2018 and taken to the al-Hawl detention camp, before being transferred to the al-Roj camp, where she has disavowed the terrorist group and said she wants to return home.

However, she was stripped of her British citizenship on the grounds of national security in February 2019 amid a political row over whether she was a dual British and Bangladeshi citizen.

Begum was ‘cynically recruited and groomed’

Her lawyers also said Ms Begum was “cynically recruited and groomed” by ISIS so that she could be married off to an older man within days of arrival in their territory.

“The evidence is overwhelming that she was recruited, transported, transferred, harboured and received in Syria by ISIS for the purpose of sexual exploitation and marriage to an adult male – and she was, indeed, married to an adult, significantly older than herself, within days of her arrival in Syria, falling pregnant soon after,” they said.

Ms Begum, who was 15 years old when she arrived in Syria, and “therefore not able to consent to marriage or sexual activity”, was “married off” on or about February 20 2015 – 10 days after her arrival in Syria to Yago Reidijk, a Dutch national who was “considerably older,” they added.

Ms Knights told the tribunal it is here that she is being “held in conditions of indefinite detention by a non-state actor, prevented from all access to her by lawyers and independent experts and, to her detriment, unrestricted access has been given to her by the press.”

Home Office witness gives evidence

She called the case “extraordinary” and said Sajid Javid, the home secretary who deprived her of her citizenship, had taken “over hasty steps” less than a week after Ms Begum gave her first interview from detention in Syria to the Times.

Mr Javid then fed commentary, including an article written by himself, into the process, Ms Knights said.

“That is in direct contrast to the precautionary approach set out by our experts on how to assess the decisions, thoughts, and behaviour of an adolescent involved during her teenage years in a child marriage,” she added.

The home secretary’s duty to protect the public was not “monolithic” and required “wider context” as well as the consideration about the “safeguarding of victims” of trafficking, Ms Knights said.

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Philip Larkin, a witness for the Home Office, told the hearing that there had been “no formal conclusion” on whether Ms Begum was the victim of human trafficking.

He accepted that Ms Begum must have had helped to cross the border, telling the tribunal: “Any individual who travelled illegally across the Turkish Syrian border would have needed assistance to make that trip.”

But he declined to say whether she had been “recruited” was the victim of “sexual exploitation.”

In July last year, the Supreme Court ruled against the Court of Appeal which had said that she should be allowed to return as the risk of her launching an attack could be “addressed and managed”.

The hearing continues.

UK

Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission’s probe into Prince Harry claims

Published

2 hours ago

August 7, 2025

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Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission's probe into Prince Harry claims

The war of words over Sentebale is continuing, with the charity calling on the Charity Commission to provide clarity that its recent report did not specifically investigate claims of racism and misogyny against Prince Harry.

Sources close to the Duke of Sussex claim they are “rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more”, describing their latest move as not “just provocative, it’s pitiful”.

A source at Sentebale has told Sky News: “We have written to The Charity Commission stating that the onus is on the commission to restate for the record that individual allegations of bullying have not been investigated or addressed in the commission’s report.”

It comes after the Charity Commission report stated that “based on the evidence provided and reviewed by the commission, it found no evidence of: widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”.

However, the commission added that it “acknowledged the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.

But sources at Sentebale believe the reporting around this statement – that Prince Harry has been cleared of bullying – has been inaccurate, as the charity watchdog did not specifically look at allegations made by the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, including during an exclusive interview on Sky News.

A source close to Prince Harry and the former board of trustees has hit back, and said: “It’s remarkable, just yesterday Ms Chanduaka was applauding the Charity Commission’s findings, yet today, after a flurry of unflattering headlines, she’s back on the warpath.

“Issuing yet another media statement only reinforces the commission’s criticism about using the press to air internal disputes.

“Rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more, which the commission found no evidence of and dressing them up as veiled threats isn’t just provocative, it’s pitiful.

“If Ms Chanduaka has genuine concerns, she should spell them out plainly or, better yet, redirect her energy toward something truly worthwhile, like raising money for the children Sentebale exists to support.”

It’s understood Prince Harry and his supporters have also been left unsatisfied by the scope of the report, including their concerns about money spent on consultants that was authorised by Dr Chandauka.

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Responding to Sky News, the Charity Commission said: “We have issued the charity with an action plan which sets out steps the current trustees need to take to improve governance weaknesses and rectify findings of mismanagement.

“We now urge all involved to put their differences behind them and allow the charity to focus on its work and beneficiaries”.

Their report, released on Wednesday, was highly critical of all parties for allowing their disagreement to play out so publicly and allowing it to severely impact the charity’s reputation.

UK

Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

Published

2 hours ago

August 7, 2025

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Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

Police have launched an appeal after £500,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from a house in southeast London.

The incident took place at a home in Bickley Road, Bromley, on 30 December last year.

Footage showed three men entering the property through a forced bathroom window.

The group, who entered the home at 5.40pm and left at 6.25pm, carried out the theft while the owners were home.

The Metropolitan Police have now shared images of the stolen jewellery in a new appeal for information.

No arrests have been made in connection with the burglary so far.

Detective Constable Jamie White, of the Met’s South Area Command Unit, said: “While the monetary value of this theft is enormous, the sentimental value is priceless – with many of the pieces being passed down through generations of the family.

“Helpfully, a number of the pieces stolen are unique, so we are hoping that releasing these photographs will jog someone’s memory.”

UK

Three charged with showing support for Palestine Action

Published

2 hours ago

August 7, 2025

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Three charged with showing support for Palestine Action

Three people have been charged with showing support for Palestine Action after the group was banned as a terror organisation.

Two women and a man were arrested in Westminster following a protest in central London on 5 July, the Metropolitan Police said.

Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney in London, were charged with displaying an article in a public place, arousing reasonable suspicion they are a supporter of a proscribed organisation, under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The trio are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.

The charges come ahead of a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in Parliament Square in London, which organisers expect more than 500 people will attend.

Defend Our Juries, which is organising the demonstration, said protests will continue until a High Court challenge over Palestine Action’s ban in November.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.

“These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on 5 July.

“We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.

“I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.”

The latest charges bring the total number of people charged with offences under the Terrorism Act related to Palestine Action to 10 across England, Wales and Scotland, Counter Terrorism Policing said.

Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “Our role is to enforce the law where we suspect offences to have been committed and we will continue to do so, without fear or favour.

“At this time, it remains illegal to be a member of or encourage support for the group Palestine Action. This legislation is specific to that group and does not interfere with the right to protest in support of the Palestinian cause.

“Operational plans are in place to ensure this right can be preserved over the coming days with protests expected in several major cities, including London.

“As well as robust plans to respond to activity in support of this proscribed group, resources are also in place to investigate offences that may be identified or reported following such events.”

More than 220 people have been arrested at protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month, as part of the campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries, including on suspicion of membership of, inviting support for and showing support for Palestine Action.

The ban on the group came after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.

Three days later, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action, calling the vandalism “disgraceful” and saying the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.