LONDON: An Isis supporter who created a “toolkit for terrorists” and called for attacks on targets including Prince George, the football World Cup and Jewish communities has had his prison sentence cut on appeal.
According to an Independent report, Husnain Rashid was originally jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years for terrorist offences including preparing terrorist acts and encouraging attacks. Police said he attempted to inspire atrocities around the world “on a colossal scale”, using encrypted messaging services to send out advice on using poisons, vehicles, weapons, bombs, chemicals and knives.
But on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal reduced the 32-year-old’s tariff to 19 years.
Lawyers representing Rashid argued that the life sentence was not justified but three judges rejected their claim. Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with two other senior judges, told the court: “We are satisfied that [the Woolwich Crown Court judge] was entitled to come to the conclusion that the seriousness of these offences, taken together, was such as to justify a sentence of life imprisonment.”
The Court of Appeal found the original minimum term was too long, because the first judge “fell into error in some aspects of his application of the sentencing guidelines”. Rashid, of Leonard Street in Nelson, Lancashire, initially maintained his innocence, but changed his pleas to guilty after the prosecution opened its case at trial last year. He admitted three counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and one count of encouraging terrorism.
Two further charges of dissemination of a terrorist publication were laid on file. Rashid had sent at least 300,000 messages and posts, including messages to Isis’s Amaq “news agency”, while holed up in a bedroom in his parents’ home.