Rajiv Menon QC, Pete Weatherby QC, Hossein Zahir, Terry Munyard and Anna Morris have acted to defend five of the six men accused of plotting to bomb a rally staged by the far right English Defence League. All six defendants pleaded guilty to offences under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which relates to preparing to commit acts of terrorism.
On 30 June 2012 the defendants, with the exception of Mohammed Hasseen, had travelled to Dewsbury with a crude IED, guns and knives. Their intended target was the EDL rally which took place in Dewsbury on that date. The defendants arrived after the rally had finished however and were apprehended on the M1 heading back to Birmingham due to an error made in insuring the vehicle in which they were travelling.
The prosecution accepted that this case was unique amongst terrorism cases and that although the defendants must have foreseen a risk of serious injury, there had been no intention to kill either others or martyr themselves. In mitigation, the Judge saw the YouTube videos of EDL speeches and rallies that had provoked the defendants to target the Dewsbury rally.
They were all sentenced to Extended Determinate Sentences that will mean that they will all serve up to 18 years in prison.
Omar Khan, 31, Jewel Uddin, 27, and Zohaib Ahmed, 22, were each sentenced to 19-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with an additional five years of restrictions on licence. They were represented by Hossein Zahir, Pete Weatherby and Terry Munyard respectively.
Mohammed Saud, 23, Anzal Hussain, 25 (represented by Rajiv Menon QC) and Mohammed Hasseen, 23 (represented by Anna Morris), were sentenced to 18 years and nine months, with an additional five years on licence.
The case has attracted widespread media attention, having been reported among others by the BBC, The Guardian and The Independent.
Rajiv Menon QC, Pete Weatherby QC, Terry Munyard, Anna Morris and Hossein Zahir are all members of the Garden Court Crime Team. They were instructed by Birnberg Peirce & Partners.
