Man loses appeal against helping jihadi

A man from Garston lost his appeal last month over a 21 month sentence he received back earlier this year for assisting an offender to return to the UK. Tahir Bhatti, of Clarke Way, travelled across Europe to help his jihadi cousin return home. He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on February 6 for trying to help Imran Khawaja, 27, get back in the country Khawaja, who was caged for 12 years after he admitted preparing for acts of terrorism and other charges, was notoriously captured on social media posing with severed heads. But Khawaja’s family claimed he had become desperate to flee the war-ravaged land where he had attended jihadi training camps. There was evidence that he had faked his own death online in order to sneak back into the UK, and he had also complained about the lack of luxuries, such as cocoa butter, overseas. Bhatti, 45, helped him out by travelling to meet him in Serbia before driving him back to England where the pair were intercepted at Dover. His case reached the Appeal Court on April 16 and Bhatti, 45, challenged his sentence, claiming it was far too harsh. For more on this read the next edition of My Garston News out on May 8. Picture courtesy of Hoss Photography