A British court has heard that Shamima Begum’s school and the police both “missed opportunities” before the then-schoolgirl travelled to Syria and joined ISIS.
Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls travelled to Syria to join ISIS in February 2015.
Shortly before Ms Begum was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019, the Home Office revoked her British citizenship.
Ms Begum, now 23, is challenging the government’s decision to remove her British citizenship, with her lawyers arguing that the department had a legal duty to investigate whether she was a victim of trafficking when the decision was made.
On Tuesday, Samantha Knights KC, for Ms Begum said: “In this case we say there were missed opportunities, both at the school … and in relation to the police and the secretary of state taking the decision to deprive, must take those failings into account.”
Her lawyers have said that she was “recruited, transported, transferred, harboured and received in Syria for the purposes of ‘sexual exploitation’ and ‘marriage’ to an adult male”.
In written submissions, Ms Knights and Dan Squires KC said there “were a series of obvious questions of individual, local and national importance as to whether steps could and should have been taken” by organisations including the Metropolitan Police, Ms Begum’s school, the Home Office and the security services “that might have prevented the girls’ travel or led to their interception before they arrived in Syria”.
The barristers said there were questions about whether “key indicators” that Ms Begum and her two friends were at risk of being trafficked were missed by the police or security services.
Ms Knights told the court that, while a victim of trafficking could still be prosecuted or deprived of their citizenship, “terrorism and trafficking are inextricably linked”.
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission previously heard that part of the test before a person is deprived of their British citizenship is whether it is “conducive to the public good”.
She later said that any potential failure by state bodies “needs to be investigated because it goes to the position of conducive to the public good”.
In written submissions, Sir James Eadie KC, for the Home Office, said there was “no ‘credible suspicion’ that she was a victim of trafficking or was at real and immediate risk of being trafficked prior to her travel from the UK”.
ISIS recruit Shamima Begum wants to return to UK to face terrorism charges — video
“At 10 December 2014, both the police and Ms Begum’s school turned their minds to the question of her potentially travelling to Syria to align with [ISIS],” he continued.
“However, both considered the risk was low.”
Sir James said that Ms Begum’s case requires her to prove that her school, local authorities and the police “fell into error in their assessment of the same issue at the same time”.
“The deprivation decision cannot be retrospectively invalidated by alleged failings to properly investigate, which are said to have occurred after Ms Begum left the UK, and by other entities which were not involved in the deprivation decision,” he added.
The barrister said that Ms Begum would have to prove that “multiple investigations” were inadequate.
“There is no evidential foundation for that,” he said.
“What Ms Begum cannot do is speculate to generate a hypothetical link between what further investigation by those entities might have achieved and the investigation that was undertaken here.”
He later said it was “entirely possible that someone may have been trafficked — which the secretary of state does not accept occurred in this case — but remains a risk to national security”.
Sir James said that the then-home secretary took into account Ms Begum’s age, how she travelled to Syria — including probable online radicalisation — and her activity in Syria, when making the decision to remove her British citizenship.
The hearing in London before Mr Justice Jay is due to finish on Friday, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20TV%204K%20(THIRD%20GENERATION)
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Race card
1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m
3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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