- Heba Alhayek got here to the UK as an asylum seeker claiming to be fleeing Hamas
The refugee who wore a paraglider picture at a pro-Palestine protest will reportedly have her immigration standing reviewed.
Heba Alhayek, 29, got here to the UK claiming to be fleeing from Hamas and beforehand claimed her life could be in danger if she went again to Gaza after her household’s criticism of the fear group.
Now the Home Office is reportedly wanting into her immigration standing after she was convicted below the Terrorism Act 2000. The Home Office instructed the Telegraph that ‘supporting banned terrorist teams won’t be tolerated’.
Alhayek, Pauline Ankunda, 26, and Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, displayed paraglider stickers on a London march on October 14 final 12 months – simply seven days after Hamas terrorists used paragliders to enter Israel earlier than randomly slaughtering 1,200 individuals.
They had been discovered responsible this week following a two-day trial, however choose Tan Ikram stated he had ‘determined to not punish’ the ladies and gave them a 12-month conditional discharge as a substitute on the idea that he didn’t consider they had been true Hamas supporters and ‘feelings’ had ‘run very excessive’ on the time of their offence.
This triggered the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to contemplate in search of a judicial assessment, a call former Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised as she instructed the Times: ‘It’s clear that one thing has gone very mistaken right here.’
Heba Alhayek, 29, considered one of three protesters seen with photos of paragliders at a pro-Palestinian march, is a Palestinian creator who was given asylum in Britain as a result of her household had been important of Hamas
Defence attorneys had argued parachutes had been a normal image of liberation in Palestinian artwork, however the choose rejected this, saying he was ‘certain’ the reference had been to the Hamas assault
Tan Ikram, who’s a deputy senior district choose, says he by accident favored a video on LinkedIn claiming ‘justice shall be coming’ to Israelis
It comes following calls by MPs and campaigners for his determination to be revisited after he ‘by accident’ favored an anti-Israeli publish on-line.
Ikram, who’s a deputy senior district choose, says he by accident favored a video on LinkedIn claiming ‘justice shall be coming’ to Israelis.
It got here to gentle a day after he let the ladies stroll free from Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
MPs stated their 12-month conditional discharge sentence needs to be revisited in gentle of the social media ‘like’. The offence, convicted below the Terrorism Act 2000, carries a most jail time period of six months.
Downing Street stated it had referred the case to the Attorney General.
A supply stated: ‘Serious questions are being raised in Government on how a choose who favored this publish was capable of preside over this landmark case and what this implies for the sentencing determination. It’s deeply troubling.’
And former legal professional normal and residential secretary Suella Braverman stated: ‘With anti-Semitism at an all-time excessive, judges should be neutral and past reproach.’
Claudia Mendoza, chief govt of the Jewish Leadership Council, described the sentence as ‘woefully insufficient’ and the choose’s remarks as ‘extraordinarily shocking’.
There had been no complaints made throughout the trial over the choose’s dealing with of the case.
Defence attorneys had argued parachutes had been a normal image of liberation in Palestinian artwork, however the choose rejected this, saying he was ‘certain’ the reference had been to the Hamas assault.
Judge Ikram stated in his sentencing remarks: ‘Seven days earlier, Hamas went into Israel with what was described by the media as paragliders. An inexpensive individual would have seen and skim that.’
The Home Office is reportedly wanting into Heba Alhayek’s immigration standing after she was convicted below the Terrorism Act 2000
Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, had a picture of a terrorist paraglider hooked up to the deal with of a placard. Pauline Ankunda, 26, hooked up one to her jacket
Alhayek is seen on the left of this picture – considered one of a number of CCTV grabs circulated by the Met
The publish was by barrister Sham Uddin who had beforehand promoted conspiracy theories claiming that Israel allowed the October 7 assault
He handed the three ladies conditional discharges, which implies they are going to be handled extra harshly if convicted of one other offence within the subsequent 12 months.
The video he ‘favored’ was captioned: ‘Free free Palestine. To the Israeli terrorist each within the United Kingdom, the United States, and naturally Israel you’ll be able to run, you’ll be able to bomb however you can’t disguise – justice shall be coming for you.’
A judiciary spokesman stated on behalf of the choose: ‘He did not know he had favored the publish. If he did, it was a real mistake.’
He may face disciplinary motion if discovered to have ignored the Guide to Judicial Conduct, stating judges ‘ought to concentrate on the chance of undermining belief and confidence within the judiciary by expressing, or showing to endorse, views which may solid doubt on their objectivity’.
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office stated the sentence was not eligible for assessment because it was not made in a crown court docket.
A CPS spokesman stated: ‘We are fastidiously contemplating any future actions in relation to this case.’