Lisa Smith: Ex-soldier turned IS member gets 15 month sentence

A former Irish Defence Forces soldier who was found guilty of Islamic State (IS) membership has been given a 15-month prison sentence.

Lisa Smith, 40, was found guilty in May of being a member of the group between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019.

The court found her not guilty of financing terrorism by sending money to a man for the benefit the terrorist group.

She was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

The judge, Mr Justice Hunt, said it was serious for any Irish citizen and a former member of the defence forces to pledge allegiance to a foreign terrorist organisation.

He said there was no doubt that she knew what she was doing.

But he said he and the court took into account her previous good behaviour and that she had a hard time in Syria and suffered from domestic violence.

However he added that was a result of her decision to travel there.

He said Smith may have been easily led but she displayed characteristics of resilience by staying in Syria until the bitter end.

Mr Justice Hunt said he accepted that her circumstances had since changed and she was a devoted mother to her daughter to whom she was deeply attached.

He said there was no reason to believe she would be a source of future danger.

Smith had converted to Islam and travelled to Syria after terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on Muslims to join IS.

The three judge non-jury Special Criminal Court was told at her earlier sentence hearing that Smith was vulnerable, dependent, docile, self-effacing and suffering mental health issues as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

She wept in court during an earlier hearing as her lawyer pleaded mitigation on her behalf.

Referring to three psychologists' reports, he said "on a scale of grimness of one to five" Smith's childhood and family background was "four".

She witnessed "destructive behaviour" and was "in the midst of a mental health crisis".

He also outlined to the court the violent and abusive nature of her marriage in Syria.

Mr O'Higgins said "there was shouting and bullying", she was "battered black and blue", pushed, slapped with "an open hand to face, hit with fists, her nose was damaged and she sustained black eyes".

He added that Smith also spent time in the al-Hawl detention centre and other camps, which he described as "absolutely appalling and extremely frightening".