Burton mum who joined Islamic State has been sentenced to six years in prison
THE first British woman to be convicted of joining IS after she took her 14-month-old child to join jihadists in war-torn Syria was jailed for six years yesterday.
Tareena Shakil, 26, used her £400 student loan to fund a trip with her tot to Syria after crossing over the border from Turkey on October 20, 2014.
In January 2015 she travelled back into Turkey where she was detained by border police and was eventually arrested at Heathrow Airport on February 18.
In January 2015 she travelled back into Turkey where she was detained by border police and was eventually arrested at Heathrow Airport on February 18.
She was jailed for four years at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday after she was convicted of being a member of a proscribed organisation - namely ISIS - between October 23, 2014 and January 9 last year, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000.
She was also given a further two years for encouragement of terrorism in that she published tweets intended to induce members of the public to commit, prepare or instigate acts of terrorism between September 30, 2014 and October 20, 2014.
The sentences will be served consecutively and Shakil was told she would be eligible for release on licence after three years.
Towie-fan Shakil was also ordered to register her whereabouts with police for a period of 15 years following her release from prison.
Judge Melbourne Inman QC said: "In the summer of 2014 you had become radicalised.
"You had followed tweets and other statements from radical preachers and terrorists and formed your views from those and from discussions you had with a known terrorist and who you described as being involved in the training of terrorist fighters for ISIS.
"Your Facebook profile clearly demonstrated your support for ISIS. You were well aware of the terrible violence inflicted by ISIS in various parts of the world.
"With that knowledge you began in September of 2014 to develop your own following on Twitter.
"You published statements on Twitter that encouraged terrorism.
"They included a photograph of armed members of ISIS with the message 'the believers are brothers' and a message to the effect of whoever died without fighting was a hypocrite.
"You published various images of the ISIS flag including being held by a masked fighter, a call to arms and a statement that paradise lies under the shade of swords by a knife embedded in the ground.
"You travelled to Turkey and took you with you your son who was only 14 months old.
"You had obviously researched how to travel without arousing suspicion and your intention was to travel to Syria to join ISIS. You left letters to your family that clearly indicated you did not intend to return.
"Clearly you had acquired help from an ISIS member - Abu T - in getting to Syria.
"You flew to Antalya and two days later flew to Gaziantep where you were met and transported into Syria and eventually to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.
"Exactly what occurred in Raqqa is far from clear. You told lie after lie to the police and to the court between February and November 2015 including that you were kidnapped, were not responsible for any tweets and any incriminating photographs were staged against your will.
"You pleaded not guilty and told more lies to the jury which they have understandably rejected.
"You had researched and were well aware of what assistance women could provide for ISIS.
"Your role would not be to fight it would be to be a wife and mother - to produce the next generation of fighters.
"Experts who gave evidence made clear women, particularly single women in ISIS, ere subject to very strict rules and allowed virtually no personal autonomy with savage penalties including death for disobedience.
"Nevertheless, you embraced ISIS. You sent a message to your brother-in-law that it was part of your faith to kill the apostates. You told your father that you wanted to die a martyr.
"You were trusted to have access to firearms and stated you had fired one accidentally. You boasted to your family you had an AK-47 and a pistol.
"You were allowed to travel unaccompanied in Raqqa. By some means you earned the trust of the terrorists.
"Most alarming, however, is the fact you took your child and how he was used.
"In your own evidence you described Raqqa as the most dangerous place on earth. That is one aspect of the aggravating feature of exposing your son to life with terrorists.
"The most abhorrent photographs were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo and specifically the photograph of your son standing next to an AK-47 under a title which translated from Arabic means 'the father of British jihad'.
"You were well aware that the future to which you had subjected your son was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter.
"You did, however, return to Turkey where you were detained and I will assume in your favour that you decided to leave because you had a change of heart.
"But you were willing to support those in Raqqa and potentially those outside to come and play their role in providing fighters and were shamelessly willing to allow your son to be photographed in terms that could only be taken as a fighter of the future.
"There has to be an element of deterrence to stop not only individuals from joining such organisations but also who consider inflicting such risk or likely suffering upon their children."
Wearing a black jacket and dark leggings, Shakil, from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, waved to her family as she was led to the cells by two security guards.
Her father Mohammed Shakil shouted "carry on with your farce" as he left the courtroom with his wife and his son-in-law.
Former psychology student Shakil travelled to Syria after "prominent IS member" Fabio Pocas told her on Facebook she would go to Jehannam (hell) if she stayed in the UK - the land of the non-believers.
Shakil's family, from Burton, reported her missing to police a day after she left the UK.
When officers searched the family home they found a note from Shakil to her parents saying: "If you are reading this then I am long gone... I love you all, never forget that. I won't say goodbye because this isnt the end... We will meet again In'shallah. Don't cry mum or anyone x"
After arriving in Syria she sent them messages saying she had "left to build us a house in heaven" and "if you don't love ISIS. I won't talk to you anymore".
She also messaged her husband telling him there was no future in their relationship but she would meet him again in "jannah (paradise)".
The court heard Shakil stayed at an ISIS-controlled mansion in Raqqa with around 40 other would-be jihadi brides.
During her stay she sent pictures to relatives of her little child posing in an ISIS balaclava and later told the court it was because the child "loved wearing hats".
She also sent pictures of herself posing with pistols and machine guns as well as images of her child standing next to the ISIS flag.
In one image her baby is seen standing on a sofa next to an AK-47 with the caption "Abu Jihad Albritani (the father of Jihad in Britain)" emblazoned overhead.
Shakil, a former brain injury rehabilitation worker, continued messaging her family, saying "this is my Jihad" and "I want to die here as a martyr".
She told her family her boy had learned to say "Allahu Akbar (God is great)" and that they would be "welcome" to join her in Syria.
During her two-week trial she claimed IS forced her to pose with her son in photographs for propaganda purposes and controlled her social media messages.
Detectives believe she married an IS fighter within weeks of her arrival and the marriage turned sour.
Jurors were told of her descent into radicalisation in the months leading up to her departure.
In August 2014 she posted a picture of the black ISIS flag on her Facebook next to the words: "If you don't like the current events in Sham (Syria) take to arms and not the keyboard".
The next month she texted "I wish I was there" to White Widow Sally-Anne Jones who fled to Syria with her son to marry jihadist Junaid Hussain who was killed in a drone strike last year.
Shakil's family declined to comment outside court.
*Last year 56 women and girls were all feared to have fled Britain to join jihadists in Syria.
Source: http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/Burton-mum-joined-Islamic-State-sentenced-years/story-28646195-detail/story.html
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