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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Man jailed for terrorism offences | Man jailed for terrorism offences |
| (1 day later) | |
| A Pakistani-born man has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to terrorism charges. | A Pakistani-born man has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to terrorism charges. |
| Abdul Rahman, 25, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, is the first person in Britain to be convicted of a charge of disseminating terrorist information. | Abdul Rahman, 25, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, is the first person in Britain to be convicted of a charge of disseminating terrorist information. |
| He was arrested with a "call to arms" letter from a Muslim fighter. | He was arrested with a "call to arms" letter from a Muslim fighter. |
| He is also the first person to be convicted of helping another person to breach a control order by paying the airfare for a man to flee to Pakistan. | He is also the first person to be convicted of helping another person to breach a control order by paying the airfare for a man to flee to Pakistan. |
| The mobile phone shop worker had been due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court, but pleaded guilty on Wednesday. | The mobile phone shop worker had been due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court, but pleaded guilty on Wednesday. |
| Deportation | Deportation |
| He was sentenced to six years for possessing articles for terrorist purposes. | He was sentenced to six years for possessing articles for terrorist purposes. |
| He also received a six-year sentence for disseminating terrorist propaganda and three years for aiding or abetting the breach of a control order. | He also received a six-year sentence for disseminating terrorist propaganda and three years for aiding or abetting the breach of a control order. |
| All sentences are to run concurrently and Rahman will be deported to Pakistan when he completes them. | All sentences are to run concurrently and Rahman will be deported to Pakistan when he completes them. |
| The letter, which he admitted possessing, had been sent by his friend and former housemate Aslam Awan, 25, who was fighting in Afghanistan and is now banned from entering the UK. | The letter, which he admitted possessing, had been sent by his friend and former housemate Aslam Awan, 25, who was fighting in Afghanistan and is now banned from entering the UK. |
| Rahman admitted having the letter with a view to circulating it to encourage others to join the jihad. | Rahman admitted having the letter with a view to circulating it to encourage others to join the jihad. |
| Rahman was also accused of the more serious charge of assisting another person to commit or prepare a terrorist act, which carries a possible life sentence. | Rahman was also accused of the more serious charge of assisting another person to commit or prepare a terrorist act, which carries a possible life sentence. |
| He formally entered a not guilty plea to the offence and instead, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aiding and abetting a man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to break a control order. | He formally entered a not guilty plea to the offence and instead, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aiding and abetting a man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to break a control order. |
| Rahman helped the 22-year-old British man flee to Pakistan by paying his airfare. | Rahman helped the 22-year-old British man flee to Pakistan by paying his airfare. |
| Student visa | Student visa |
| Rahman admitted the offences as part of a plea bargain agreed after the judge, his Honour Clement Goldstone QC, indicated that the defendant would only be jailed for a maximum of six years if he was to plead guilty and avoid a trial. | Rahman admitted the offences as part of a plea bargain agreed after the judge, his Honour Clement Goldstone QC, indicated that the defendant would only be jailed for a maximum of six years if he was to plead guilty and avoid a trial. |
| Rahman came to the UK in September 2004 on a four-year student visa to study biotechnology at a university in Dundee, but quit the course after one day. | |
| He then moved to Manchester where he began working in a mobile phone shop. | He then moved to Manchester where he began working in a mobile phone shop. |
| When police raided Rahman's house, they found computer discs of speeches given to crowds in Pakistan claiming "Allah is calling for jihad". | When police raided Rahman's house, they found computer discs of speeches given to crowds in Pakistan claiming "Allah is calling for jihad". |
| All the charges relate to activity between April 2006 and January 2007. | All the charges relate to activity between April 2006 and January 2007. |