“I approach the Local Authority's proposals by considering B's needs at this juncture. I am required to do so bySection 1(1) of the Children Act 1989 . What she needs, I find, is to be provided with an opportunity in which she can, in a peaceful and safe situation, be afforded the chance for her strong and lively mind to reassert its own independence. An environment in which there are the kind of vile images that I have described and the extreme polemic I have outlined, can only be deleterious to her emotional welfare. I hope she can be provided with an opportunity where her thoughts might turn to healthier and I hope happier issues. I have no doubt, as has been impressed upon me by her counsel, that she will find separation from her parents, particularly her siblings, to be distressing, though I note she was prepared to leave them to go to Syria. I do not doubt that the social worker will struggle to find a placement which meets the full panoply of her welfare needs which has been emphasised on behalf of the guardian, but I entirely see why the Local Authority plans or proposals are, of necessity, only general in outline and, to some extent, inevitably inchoate. However, I am entirely satisfied that this social worker will make every effort to ensure the best possible option is achieved for B. That is the Local Authority's responsibility.”
“10. An initial child protection conference took place on 16th April. The Social Services' Department wanted to try to evaluate the capacity of the parents to protect and to safeguard their children. They discussed with them buying an internet monitoring device upon the advice of the police. The parents professed their willingness to engage. They were eloquent and fulsome in their assurances. B was made the subject of a Child in Need plan, predicated on the Local Authority's evaluation of the parent's positive potential to safeguard her themselves.”… “12. On 12th August the parents and other siblings were arrested on suspicion of "possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism." That is an offence contrary tos.58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and carries a substantial custodial sentence.”
“6. There is no single root cause of radicalisation. More than 200 different factors have been identified by research which could play a role in the radicalisation process. Not all factors feature in every case, and there is often very considerable variation. 7. Research has highlighted that radicalisation is the result of the interaction of both personal factors (e.g. individual susceptibility) and environmental factors (e.g. social relationships, community attitudes). Studies have also highlighted that static and dynamic factors both play significant roles in radicalisation. Static elements include, for example, demographic factors such that young people aged 15-24 are most at risk, and males are usually more affected than females. 8. Dynamic factors can include social relationships, which in most cases are probably one of key elements in the radicalisation process. Camaraderie, social support and a sense of belonging can all be powerful incentives for becoming and staying involved with a radical group. 9. Psychological vulnerability can also play a significant role, though this should not be confused with mental illness or psychological problems, which overall are present in relatively few cases of serious radicalisation.”
“33. Studies suggest that many individuals can become engaged with violent extremist movements at very young age (below 15 years old). Adolescence, in particular, seems to be a critical period. Why adolescence is so important appears to relate to issues around identity and negative emotions. Establishing a clear sense of identity is a normal part of adolescence. The concern with radicalisation is when identity gravitates towards an ideology-based violence and is shaped by this.” “35. Young people with high personal uncertainty (e.g. who experience higher levels of anxiety and confusion) can be more inclined to support ideology-based violence. Researchers argue that uncertainty is a distressing feeling, and that people are fundamentally motivated to achieve a sense of certainty about themselves and their social worth. This can make extremist ideologies which provide a clear “black and white” worldview that minimizes ambiguity and uncertainty very attractive, and indeed, studies show that people gravitate towards radical beliefs when they experience high levels of uncertainty. ”
“24. …Nonetheless, in exchanges with Mr. Barnes on behalf of the Local Authority the following, to my mind, important facts have emerged. Firstly, it is conspicuous that radicalised material was not found on the boys' devices. Secondly, the boys, through a variety of sporting interests, have a much wider integration into society more generally and, on my, as yet, superficial assessment, a healthier range of interests. Between sport and study there is, I suspect, little room in their lives for radicalised interests. Thirdly, it was one of the boys who first sounded the alarm about his sister's flight. The exact account of that, like everything else this family says, must now be viewed with very great caution, but I strongly suspect there is a core truth that it was the action of one of the brothers that foiled B's flight to Syria. Fourthly, two of the older boys will be starting 6th Form education at college very soon, and accordingly they will be more exposed to professional scrutiny. 25. I will require a thorough intense and comprehensive social work assessment of the boys' circumstances. I will then be able better to decide whether their situation in this household is sustainable or not. Until I have the information I am not prepared to sanction their removal. It may or may not be necessary in the future. The balance of risk, it seems to me is, significantly different in the cases of the boys, at least at this stage... ”
“…Peer-to-Peer recruiters also encourage young women to distrust friends and family or ‘traditional’ authority figures, arguing ‘they don’t understand’. Moreover they argue that those in the West, follow an Islam that has been ‘perverted’ by culture and traditions that are not Islamic, or that those in authority have become corrupted by working for European authorities. On line recruitment is now noticeably female-to-female - in the past some men were actively seeking to recruit women as future wives but this has been noticeably declined. ”
“On-line material 53. Klaussen’s in-depth analysis of IS online material reveals that less than 10% is concerned with violence. There is however a significant body of unique material produced every day that is retweeted, posted on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other platforms. The material focuses on life in Islamic State, presenting an idealised vision of ‘ordinary life’, the new rules and regulations of Islamic State, new areas of interest and promotional material. This material focuses on the failings of western states to allow Muslims to live according to their faith, it points to the violence of Western governments and state agencies against Muslims, it emphasises the faults of Muslims who adopt alternative understandings of Islamic history and way of life - particularly targeting Shia and Sufis. The material is replete with de-contextualised verses from the Quran and the Hadith (stories of the Prophet Mohammed’s life). The material offers a utopian vision of itself - it identifies a problem with the world and living in the West, it presents an awe inspiring and grand solution (itself) and argues that young Muslims are responsible for its realisation and offers ‘hope’ for a future. There is an underlying tension with this approach where it emphasises a new ‘good life’ for potential recruits while simultaneously highlighting their belief in an imminent apocalypse. However this does not render IS a ‘death cult’ rather death and violence is for a purpose - the protection of the new proto-state, and its ‘citizens’.”
“The Role of Online Environments The issue of community is certainly strongly felt with regard to online environments. Islamic State is a ‘young persons’ movement and the use of technology is authentic to its members. Online material is highly gendered using particular motifs to exalt behaviours and traits. For women modesty, piety and complementarity with men is emphasised through images of a lion and lioness, or a ‘green bird’, images of romantic love do emerge, but these are presented as the ‘beginning’ of a new life rather than an end in itself. Online recruitment frequently relies on existing ‘real-world’ contacts, but not always. Increasingly non-public platforms are being used - such as telegram, and WhatsApp. Public forums are used for general propaganda and maintaining community and a sense of belonging - having your twitter account suspended is valued and seen as an achievement and celebrated. Islamic State are increasingly suspicious of unsolicited requests, and some reports suggest they require a ‘recommendation’ from a ‘known’/‘trusted’ individual. Peer-to-Peer recruiters also encourage young women to distrust friends and family or ‘traditional’ authority figures, arguing ‘they don’t understand’. Moreover they argue that those in the West, follow an Islam that has been ‘perverted’ by culture and traditions that are not Islamic, or that those in authority have become corrupted by working for European authorities. On line recruitment is now noticeably female-to-female - in the past some men were actively seeking to recruit women as future wives but this has been noticeably declined.”
“The internet is a critical medium for the Global Salafist Jihad as advocated by groups such as IS, al-Qaeda and their affiliates. For many years the internet has been increasingly important as a way to disseminate sermons and texts from radical preachers, allow adherents to communicate with each other and for potential recruits to find out more about the movement.”
“Several Salafist web-sites and discussion groups provide access to combat manuals which are designed to allow readers to construct and then deploy weapons, to identify suitable targets, and give advice on how to use the various weapons to maximum effect. Some manuals provide information on developing chemical, biological and radiological weapons, but most concentrate on the more feasible homemade explosive and firearm weapons. Manuals are also available which give advice to adherents on how to avoid police or security service surveillance, on how to react if interviewed or interrogated by the security services, on how to blend into society without attracting undue attention, on how to communicate secretly with other extremists, how to carry out reconnaissance of potential targets, and a whole range of other activities of use to the potential terrorist.”
“These calls are made both in many of the text documents but even more dramatically in many of the videos. The ‘Nasheed Fisabillah’ video, of example, there are explicit calls for terrorist attacks to be carried out in Europe, while in the ‘159.mp4’ video, a filmed jihadi directly speaks to the camera encouraging and extolling the viewer to join the jihad and to follow his and his companions’ example. The document 'Sisters role in Jihad' also contained explicit recruitment targeting women. The document established precedent for women's participation in Jihad as an individual duty. The document argued that a woman does not need her male guardian's permission to join Jihad. It supports the martyrdom of a Chechen woman who died in carrying out a human bombing killing 27 Russian soldiers. The material however argues that women's direct participation in violence is limited to particular circumstances (self-defence and when men cannot) and that women travelling to carry out Jihad face additional limitations. It then proceeds to say that as yet the circumstances of Jihad do not require women's active involvement as fighters but that they are obliged to support men in their fight. For example by carrying weapons, raising children in the correct manner, and training in combat first aid.”
“Thus, a viewer who identified themselves as a Muslim, after viewing this material could be expected to feel increased support and sympathy for the jihadis and their cause, an increased sense of commitment to their own Muslim identity, and an increased hostility and anger towards individuals and groups who are believed to be attacking fellow Muslims and important cultural beliefs and icons. The more important being a Muslim is to a person’s sense of identity, the more pronounced this effect can be expected to be. As previously indicated, research has shown that many of these changes can be relatively subtle and can occur at a subconscious level (i.e. the viewer may not even be fully aware that their attitudes have shifted to such a degree).”
“ ‘Radicalisation’ refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups”
“‘Extremism’ is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British Values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas. Terrorist groups very often draw on extremist ideas developed by extremist organisations”
“It is important to remember that radicalisation is the result of many factors, some of which are about the individual involved, and some of which relate to their environment (including family and community environment). The range of factors involved is extensive, and the result is that the radicalisation process is complex and varied. Radicalisation itself is not a fixed state, but is dynamic, and changing events and factors can deepen radicalisation or bring about de-radicalisation.”
“426. It is my assessment that the parents and children will work openly and honestly with professionals and they will allow all professionals in. The children will be monitored at school and M’s family are fully available to assist and work with professionals. The intervention of the state has been a massive wake up call for the parents to monitor and guide their children and to work with professionals and extended family members that have been concerned about the family.”
“It is my assessment now that the substantive charges in respect of Terrorism have been dropped by the police the family will work openly with professionals. They have already made a number of major changes.”
“346. It is my assessment that the parents recognise that they were not as emotionally available to their children particularly B and Y and they would like to become more emotionally available. They also recognise that they have not had enough time for themselves and decided to refer themselves for couple work. Both have expressed a number of issues that they would like to talk about around communication, their respective families, having a large family and identity issues of having children that are dual heritage. This work will give them the space also to think about their children and make them more emotionally available to all of them particularly B and Y.” “434...It appears from the discussions that [K] downloaded material which she now accepts should not be downloading and B was driven by her anger and rage and wanted to make some sort of point to the Authorities. Her anger and rage is complicated as she was already upset about Gaza and Syria and what was happening to families and children. It is my assessment that she was not having enough time with her parents and there was not enough quality family time. She was also not engaging in some of the physical activity that the other family members were engaging with.” “442. B has had a number of months to reflect and think about the situation that placed her in Telford. She has explained to me how she has felt angry about how she feels she has been treated. She has also explained her reasons for finding and contacting ISIS and her reason for wanting to living in a Islamic country. Apart of this fantasy was a fantasy about her father’s life and activities. In my assessment she did not fully understand or discuss with him.” “460. It is my assessment that the parents have made a radical shift in moving from home education to placing the children in schools. [N] is due to start school soon. They have recognised that there are issues they need to discuss and will continue to meet with the TCCR.”
“The foundations for the risk assessment The local authority has the benefit of the Court’s assessment of the family as set out in the judgment of21 August 2015 which in summary found: i. The parents’ deception of the Court and professionals; ii. The risk presented by the material accessed and accessible in the family home; iii. The underlying belief system present in the household.”
“108. Y in his ABE interview states that B’s interest in going to Syria predated her contact with ISIS on the internet. He in his interview on the 25/02/16 said that B had informed him of her departure on the day before whilst on the 07/12/14 he said he had known for two months. The other family members said she told him on the day. M expressed how upsetting it was and ‘how bad’ she feels now about B confiding in Y during our interview with her on the 09/02/16 (with Thelma Ukueku). Her upset would suggest that she knew of Y’s earlier acquaintance with B’s plans.” “109. There is some consensus that the root of B’s curiosity in ISIS lay in her concern about the situation in Gaza, July/August 2014, and its impact particularly on children caught up in the conflict. ” “110. No one, including B herself, was prepared to explain how her journey from concerned onlooker to ISIS sympathiser came about. Family members were not able or prepared to discuss the politics of the conflict in Gaza and Syria or about the differences between Hamas and ISIS. When asked about family discussions about events in Gaza or the Charlie Hebdo killings in January 2015 nobody was forthcoming. B said they had all been brought up by their parents to believe that you should withhold your opinions about any topic if you had no direct experience of it. This was a sentiment expressed also by E.”
‘in consideration of the different placement options the risk factors are complex. The care planning proposals are tentative and would benefit from findings of fact’
“2. If a legal rule requires a fact to be proved (a “fact in issue”), a judge or jury must decide whether or not it happened. There is no room for a finding that it might have happened. The law operates a binary system in which the only values are 0 and 1. The fact either happened or it did not. If the tribunal is left in doubt, the doubt is resolved by a rule that one party or the other carries the burden of proof. If the party who bears the burden of proof fails to discharge it, a value of 0 is returned and the fact is treated as not having happened. If he does discharge it, a value of 1 is returned and the fact is treated as having happened.” (per Lord Hoffman) “32. In our legal system, if a judge finds it more likely than not that something did take place, then it is treated as having taken place. If he finds it more likely than not that it did not take place, then it is treated as not having taken place. He is not allowed to sit on the fence. He has to find for one side or the other. Sometimes the burden of proof will come to his rescue: the party with the burden of showing that something took place will not have satisfied him that it did. But generally speaking a judge is able to make up his mind where the truth lies without needing to rely upon the burden of proof. 69. ...There are some proceedings, though civil in form, whose nature is such that it is appropriate to apply the criminal standard of proof. Divorce proceedings in the olden days of the matrimonial “offence” may have been another example (see Bater v Bater[1951] P 35 ). But care proceedings are not of that nature. They are not there to punish or to deter anyone. The consequences of breaking a care order are not penal. Care proceedings are there to protect a child from harm. The consequences for the child of getting it wrong are equally serious either way. 70. My Lords, for that reason I would go further and announce loud and clear that the standard of proof in finding the facts necessary to establish the threshold under section 31(2) or the welfare considerations in section 1 of the 1989 Act is the simple balance of probabilities, neither more nor less. Neither the seriousness of the allegation nor the seriousness of the consequences should make any difference to the standard of proof to be applied in determining the facts. The inherent probabilities are simply something to be taken into account, where relevant, in deciding where the truth lies.” (per Baroness Hale) (per Lord Hoffman) (per Baroness Hale) 53. I have also found the succinct guidance of Jackson J in Re BR (Proof of Facts)[2015] EWFC 41 to be helpful. The following passages require highlighting: Para 7 “(2) Nor does the seriousness of the consequences of a finding of fact affect the standard to which it must be proved. Whether a man was in a London street at a particular time might be of no great consequence if the issue is whether he was rightly issued with a parking ticket, but it might be of huge consequence if he has been charged with a murder that occurred that day in Paris. The evidential standard to which his presence in the street must be proved is nonetheless the same.” “(3) The court takes account of any inherent probability or improbability of an event having occurred as part of a natural process of reasoning. But the fact that an event is a very common one does not lower the standard of probability to which it must be proved. Nor does the fact that an event is very uncommon raise the standard of proof that must be satisfied before it can be said to have occurred. ” “(4) Similarly, the frequency or infrequency with which an event generally occurs cannot divert attention from the question of whether it actually occurred. As Mr Rowley QC and Ms Bannon felicitously observe:” "Improbable events occur all the time. Probability itself is a weak prognosticator of occurrence in any given case. Unlikely, even highly unlikely things, do happen. Somebody wins the lottery most weeks; children are struck by lightning. The individual probability of any given person enjoying or suffering either fate is extremely low." I agree. It is exceptionally unusual for a baby to sustain so many fractures, but this baby did. The inherent improbability of a devoted parent inflicting such widespread, serious injuries is high, but then so is the inherent improbability of this being the first example of an as yet undiscovered medical condition. Clearly, in this and every case, the answer is not to be found in the inherent probabilities but in the evidence, and it is when analysing the evidence that the court takes account of the probabilities.” "Improbable events occur all the time. Probability itself is a weak prognosticator of occurrence in any given case. Unlikely, even highly unlikely things, do happen. Somebody wins the lottery most weeks; children are struck by lightning. The individual probability of any given person enjoying or suffering either fate is extremely low." 54. The crucial importance of the Judge’s evaluation of the reliability of the lay evidence is also emphasised in Re BR (supra). Thus: “ Para 8. Each piece of evidence must be considered in the context of the whole. The medical evidence is important, and the court must assess it carefully, but it is not the only evidence. The evidence of the parents is of the utmost importance and the court must form a clear view of their reliability and credibility. ”
"society must be willing to tolerate very diverse standards of parenting, including the eccentric, the barely adequate and the inconsistent. It follows too that children will inevitably have both very different experiences of parenting and very unequal consequences flowing from it. It means that some children will experience disadvantage and harm, while others flourish in atmospheres of loving security and emotional stability. These are the consequences of our fallible humanity and it is not the provenance of the state to spare children all the consequences of defective parenting. In any event, it simply could not be done."
"We are all frail human beings, with our fair share of unattractive character traits, which sometimes manifest themselves in bad behaviours which may be copied by our children. But the State does not and cannot take away the children of all the people who commit crimes, who abuse alcohol or drugs, who suffer from physical or mental illnesses or disabilities, or who espouse antisocial political or religious beliefs."
"I deplore any form of domestic violence and I deplore parents who care for children when they are significantly under the influence of drink. But so far as Mr and Mrs C are concerned there is no evidence that I am aware of that any domestic violence between them or any drinking has had an adverse effect on any children who were in their care at the time when it took place. The reality is that in this country there must be tens of thousands of children who are cared for in homes where there is a degree of domestic violence (now very widely defined) and where parents on occasion drink more than they should, I am not condoning that for a moment, but the courts are not in the business of social engineering. The courts are not in the business of providing children with perfect homes. If we took into care and placed for adoption every child whose parents had had a domestic spat and every child whose parents on occasion had drunk too much then the care system would be overwhelmed and there would not be enough adoptive parents. So we have to have a degree of realism about prospective carers who come before the courts."
‘has shared them with and promoted them within’; ‘a pivotal role’; ‘complicit in radicalisation’
“I saw a video of men chained together one by one after what was said to have been a battle, who were said to be the prisoners they had taken. They took them to something like a dock/or a sea wall straight onto the sea. They unchained them one by one and shot them in the back of the head so they fell into the water. They sought to portray this like the story of Commander Khalid Bin Waleed who was fighting against the Jews and he made a promise that the river would run red with blood if he won. The water in this video by the end of it was red; they had killed so many people. I’m not sure they were even soldiers at all now, they may well just have been people, ordinary civilians, who didn’t agree with IS coming in and taking over. ” “I saw a lot of videos and scenes of violence. When I first started seeing them I was shocked at the violence. I didn’t like to watch it. I was also accessing a lot of video and other on line material that I now realise was just propaganda. ”
“Often there were discussions on line about being a good Muslim and joining IS in Syria. These were just Tweets. Back then they were not really policed. People could say things to encourage others and there was no policing of it. ” “There were a range of views along a spectrum. Some people were willing to wait in the UK and see how things pan out and were not willing to take any action in their own country or even join IS. This was even though they were IS supporters. The other end of the spectrum was people wanting to go to join IS and while in the West willing to carry out whatever they could think of in their own county, meaning a terrorist act or getting support for IS and trying to send people to Syria. There was even a group of people who were really, really extreme and they were not even going to go to Syria, they had just made up their minds to carry out an attack here. There was a strong debate about following the rule of law in your own country. There is a hadith about this and so many people strongly argued that this was the right approach and that if you were in the Islamic State then you would follow Sharia law but in your own country you had to follow the rule of law there. The majority thought it better just to go to IS and follow the law there. Others argued (and it got quite heated) that you should act to further IS in your own country even if that was against the law. I didn’t; join in with the arguments. I agreed with the ‘follow the rule of law in your own country’ argument, and if you want to live under Sharia law just go there. Ultimately, that was why I got on the plane. I wanted to live in an Islamic state under Sharia law. ”
“ If I got to Syria I knew that eventually I’d have to get married. I knew I wouldn’t have to fight, because the men did that. My main reason in going was not to get married, and I still find it embarrassing that people think that was my motivation. I wasn’t sure I’d be allowed to study, although I really hoped I would, but I was prepared to forego it as a sacrifice for my religion.” “In travelling to Syria I wanted to be part of the Islamic state and to live under Sharia law. I accept that I believed in the cause i.e that the Islamic State was fighting for Muslims who were oppressed and that the cause was to obtain land by waging war as well as by seeking to defend Muslims that were being bombed by drones etc. I came to think that it was my duty to go to Syria to assist in supporting the growth of IS. ”
“I saw so much violence that it seemed to lose its effect. Everything merged into one. I can’t believe I’m saying that now. ” “In respect of the beheadings of Western people, at the time the message was that they were spies for the West and that’s why they had been killed. I thought that Western spies were in the same category as soldiers, which was why they could be executed. ” “I did not really like the fact that they were beheaded but I realized that they did this as a way of trying to grab the West’s attention. If they had done that to Syrian soldiers no one would pay attention, but because they were British and American that would mean more publicity.”
“For about a week after I came back in December 2014, I told H I wished I hadn’t been stopped and that I wanted to go there. After that I didn’t share with her my up and down feelings about IS. I didn’t suggest to her that she ought to go too, but I did say that I should be going, as a good Muslim, so she might have taken that as me suggesting she should go too. I didn’t say that with the intention of persuading her to go too, but I accept that might have been the effect on her. H is more likely to follow me than I am to follow her. I accept that if I said things about what I saw as my duty or why it would be right as a Muslim to go, there is a risk the others would have begun to see it that way and may have attempted to go or become involved.” “I accept therefore that I was “radicalized”
“I know it maybe said well how can we believe you now when you’ve admitted lying? I can only say that I lied to protect myself and because I was too scared and got in so far I couldn’t admit that I had been radicalized. I knew if I did everyone would say I was a risk and never believe that I didn’t intend to harm anyone. I had hurt my family so much I couldn’t admit it to them either. It just got worse and worse as time went on.”
“I have the following comments to make about Rukhsana’s report. I accept that I allowed Rukhsana to impose her own “narrative” about the reasons I tried to go to Syria. I agreed with what she was suggesting because I was scared of telling the truth. ” “Para 161 It was Rukhsana who suggested that I was stubborn like my dad, and that my dad’s community were “simple” people. I just agreed with her. That whole first meeting was very negative, I did not speak much, and I was just saying yes or no to Rukhsana. I did not feel like talking to her as I had just had contact with my mum, and I was upset that my dad had not come.”
“He stated that when he was in Gaza he had watched what was going on in Gaza. This appears to have been a turning point for [the father]. He stated that he watched Aljazeera Arabic as he felt that Aljazeera gave an accurate picture of what was going on in the world. He also brought back videos and pictures of Muslims being killed and burnt alive. He stated that Palestines (sic) were being killed by Israelis. He found this very haunting and upsetting. He explained to me that his children saw these pictures and they were all upset and crying. It was very clear from his body language and how he spoke that these atrocities had left a deep and lasting impression on him. It also appears from his descriptions that all the children had been deeply moved and upset. Certainly they would have left a deep impression on [B].”
“[The father] stated he would like to continue with his humanitarian work in Gaza. However after the family meeting on23 January 2015 [the father] has agreed to stop the humanitarian work as he needs to spend more time with his family and children. He was no longer involved in the community very much but he was more active in sport. He stated that he qualified as a mechanic and he used these skills in Gaza. He informed me that [B] wanted to go to Gaza but he felt she was too young to go there. He drew a link between his trips and work in Gaza to her desire to become a doctor. He stated that the ISIS had manipulated her to travel to Syria by informing her she could study for free in medicine and qualify as a doctor. It appears that there had been some worries as to how her medical studies would be funded. (In a later meeting [the father] informed me that he planned to sell some family land to pay for her studies in the future. He also informed me that [B] knew if she had informed her parents they would have stopped her from going. ”
“One possible conclusion is that B – highly intelligent and curious with a lively and enquiring but crucially not yet fully formed mind; with all of the well-recognised vulnerabilities of the teenager on the cusp of adulthood – was more influenced than the Father realised by his own ethical and principled approach to world events and human rights issues. The potent effect of those qualities in combination with the palpable closeness of their relationship might well go some way to explaining B’s actions.”
“The police officer Richard informed [father] of a piece of technology costing£79 which allows complete monitoring of the computers in the house [father] followed Richard’s instruction on this and bought it and a friend who is technologically minded (which neither of us are). The children are not aware of it. We completely understand the police and social service’s concerns, but we don’t want any intervention to further impact upon our family life.”
“Following this incident in December 2014 and on the advice of a police officer named Richard; I purchased, and installed, security software on all electronic devices in our household with my computer as the master, to prohibit the children from accessing any inappropriate websites. I did not tell the children that I was doing this so they were unaware that the software had been installed.”
“The attention of the Court has been largely on the harm which has been caused to [B] from her exposure to explicit and harrowing video footage of beheadings and other terrorist killings. By her own account this resulted in a psychological and emotional numbness. No party has sought to suggest other than that this is in itself a disturbing and unusual feature of this case. The fact that it was harmful is not disputed. All parties accept that the character of the material is different to that ordinarily the subject of analysis by the Family Court. Its effect on [B] short term is that it radicalized and dehumanized her so that she lost her moral compass.”
“The repulsion at the material and empathy with the child victim, which are both properly present in this case, inform the subjective evaluation of professionals and the Court. It is submitted by those representing the mother that this does not negate the need for objective analysis of the causes of the harm. The subjective evaluation should however inform the dispassionate consideration of the consequences of the harm experienced by [B] and the risk arising from that.”
“As a direct result of the nature and character of the harm [B] suffered she continues to be fragile and vulnerable. The determination which the Court makes in respect of findings against her and her family, and the decision as to whether she returns home or not, will likely dictate [B’s] life path. Whether she is to be permitted to have a second chance at achieving her life’s ambition to be a doctor is very much in issue. To this end any findings made against [B] must be carefully balanced and proportionate. The way in which the case has been put against her by the local authority has at times been excessive, punitive and quasi criminal. If [B] is found to have been ‘attack planning’ ( which is not made out on the evidence) it is difficult to see how she could gain entry to medical school. Lesser findings may also diminish her prospects in this regard.”
“That the mother was not sufficiently protective or vigilant between December 2014 and August 2015 is accepted albeit that there are explanations (rather than excuses) offered by her as to her thinking at the time.”
“at around 3pm … my daughter asked [the mother] where [B] is? Mother said that she must be upstairs reading and told my daughter to go and look for her, after a short time she came back down and said she was not upstairs. It was at this point that we all started to look for [B]. We searched the entire house including the shed, but she was not to be found”
“we arrived back at the home address, I said to [the mother] let me speak to [the younger brother]. I called him and he came down to me. I then took him to one side and said ‘this is no joke, she could be in danger, tell me what you know, if you know something you have to tell me’. [He] said ‘I don’t know’. I could see he was withholding something, so I asked again and he said ‘my mum is going to kill me’, I said ‘this is important, you have to tell me’, he said ‘she has gone to Syria’. Is said ‘what do you mean?’ he said ‘yeah, she has gone to Syria to be a doctor and help the people’. I said ‘did she go alone, did she go with someone?’ He replied ‘I think she has gone with someone, a lady’. I said how old is she?’. He said ‘I think she is about 20 years old’. I said ‘how did she meet her?’ He said ‘I think she met her on Twitter’. ”
“2. I have already stated that my primary reason to go to Syria was to join an Islamic State, albeit sooner than I had imagined. I believed that this was the best way for me to be a good Muslim. I believed that the West were responsible for the suffering of Muslims, particularly in Gaza, where innocent people and especially children were being bombed and killed. The UK was implicated in supplying arms. I felt a traitor living in the West. In that sense, I was anti-West as I have already said in my previous statement. I believed that I might be able to study there, for free and that this would enable me to study to become a doctor, which, in turn, would enable me to help others. That was a very attractive promise that was made. However, I wasn’t sure I would be allowed to study, I think I was already questioning in my mind whether or not that would really happen although of course I really hoped it would, but I was prepared to forego it as a sacrifice for my religion. I have already said that it was not my primary reason for going and I accept that when I was saying to others that was the reason, and the only reason, it was because it sounded better and gave me a ‘way out’ of having to explain my support at that time for IS. “4. I did support the view of IS taking over as much of the world as they could, as they said they would, and turning it into an Islamic State (although I thought that was probably unrealistic but the Arab world might not be). In this respect they talked about conquering ‘Rome’. That didn’t mean the city of Rome, it was a term used to describe the West really. I did support the killing of Syrian soldiers (pro-Assad) who had been killing the Syrian civilians….” “7. I knew that IS would use violence against people standing in their way and not accepting their rule. At the time what was said was that they attacked IS first and it was explained or likened to when Islam was first established by the Prophet and trying to spread Islam they would often come up against their own tribes and people who didn’t want to accept Islam…”
“7…The water in this video by the end of it was red; they had killed so many people. I’m not sure they were even soldiers at all now, they may well just have been people, ordinary civilians, who didn’t agree with IS coming in and taking over…”
“8 …I also think something weird happened to me and the way I was on line. An example is IS supporters on line used to be really against Shia Muslims. It was like a big argument between them on line and others who joined in the debates. Even though I agreed on Twitter with what they said about Shia’s, I didn’t really agree with it in real life as my Mum’s best friend is Shia, with whom I have a very close relationship, and she was one of the people I suggested to live with. It was easy to maintain this divide between my real life and my online life as no-one knew me in real life. So although I ended up trying to go to Syria and it doesn’t get more real than that, I also think that perhaps in my head there was also a distinction between things happening in the Islamic state and things happening here….”
“14. I didn’t think it was good to do a suicide bomb on a train or in a public place because you could kill innocent women and children. In Islam you’re not supposed to kill women or children, just the men fighting against you.”
“27. For about a week after I came back in December 2014, I told [H] I wished I hadn’t been stopped and that I wanted to go there. After that I didn’t share with her my up and down feelings about IS. I didn’t suggest to her that she ought to go too, but I did say that I should be going, as a good Muslim, so she might have taken that as me suggesting she should go too. I didn’t say that with the intention of persuading her to go too, but I accept that might have been the effect on her. [H] is more likely to follow me than I am to follow her. I accept that if I said things about what I saw as my duty or why it would be right as a Muslim to go, there is a risk the others would have begun to see it that way and may have attempted to go or become involved.”
“37. I accept therefore that I was “radicalized”