LONDON: A British man who “demonstrated a willingness to kill” for Daesh has been released from prison after being considered too dangerous to be released a year before, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
Ismael Watson was denied parole in January 2022 but was released in February after serving his full five-year sentence in jail.
Under current law, convicted terrorists like Watson who are serving a fixed-term sentence and have behaved well in prison will be released with limited restrictions.
When Watson was sentenced in December 2017, the judge ordered an additional 12-month extended license. This means the 33-year-old extremist will remain under supervision until February 2024.
Following this, Watson will be subject to limited restrictions, such as a police notification order requiring him to provide information such as his home address or passport number, which enables authorities to monitor an offender and manage any ongoing risk that they pose.
Chris Phillips, the UK’s former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the Daily Mail that the specific threat posed by terrorists may necessitate a revision in the legislation to ensure that all terror offenders receive indefinite sentences.
This would mean that a convicted terrorist would serve a minimum term and then have to convince the Parole Board they were no longer dangerous before being released.
Watson, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had denied involvement in the preparation of terrorist acts and chose to represent himself before refusing to attend court.
His first trial was abandoned and following a two-day retrial, he was found guilty in his absence.
Sentencing him, Judge Anuja Dhir QC said she believed Watson was an extremist and a danger to society.
“The evidence in this case proved that at the time of the offenses, you held deep and extensive radicalized beliefs that were demonstrated by the large volume of extremist material found on your mobile phone, and your positive and stated support for Islamic State and those involved in jihad,” the judge said.
