Teen jihadist jailed for five years over Anzac Day plot

Britain’s youngest jihadist, a 15-year-old boy, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of five years.

Britain’s youngest jihadist, a 15-year-old boy from Blackburn, described by a judge as so radicalised it was “chilling’’, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of five years for his role in the thwarted Anzac Day terror plot in Melbourne.

The radicalised boy, known by school peers as “the terrorist’’, had pleaded guilty to one terror charge.

Judge John Saunders in the Manchester Crown Court said the boy, who was 14 at the time, “played his part hoping and ­intending the outcome would be the deaths of a number of people.

“In March 2015, he would have been pleased if that had happened and would have welcomed the ­notoriety he would have achieved’’.

He said “someone at 14 who is so radicalised, wishing and intending someone should die, is chilling’’.

The boy’s family of Bangladeshi descent, including his mother and father, flanked their son when Justice Saunders handed down the sentence.

His mother appeared shocked and started crying when she hugged her son before he was led away to a youth detention facility.

The court has heard how the boy — who cannot be named until he reaches the age of 18 — was brought together with a Melbourne contact, Sevdet Besim, by the infamous Australian radical Abu Khaled al-Cambodi.

Cambodi is also known as Neil Prakash and has emerged as a key recruiter of young Western men to Islamic terrorism.

Cambodi encouraged the 14-year-old to mentor Besim from afar to carry out a lone wolf attack against police in Australia. The plot, developed by the teenager and Besim, was to practise killing by beheading a “proper lonely person’’ and then attack a policeman with a machete at the Melbourne Anzac Day parade earlier this year.

Justice Saunders said the boy was not the one who thought up the plot or worked out details of the planning “but he played a vital part … he had some ideas himself and encouraged the killer on what to do — he ensured the killer didn’t have second thoughts or weaken’’.

He said the boy became involved because he was a radical extremist driven by his belief that killing indiscriminately was permitted in pursuit of his aims.

Justice Saunders said the ­offence was extremely serious and justified a sentence of detention for life, and there was no certainty as to how long it would take to de-radicalise or disengage him from violent behaviour in support of his cause.

He said there was no doubt that the boy was dangerous and despite recent progress, he had no doubt a significant risk remained.

Justice Saunders said: “The only proper sentence is one of detention for life. It means the boy will not be released until he is considered not to be dangerous. In that way the public can be protected from harm.

“The boy will serve a minimum period of five years before he is eligible for release.’’

A lawyer for the family, Daniel King, said outside court: “The family were shocked and devastated when he was arrested, as until that point they were completely unaware of his activities. They are, of course, relieved that no one was injured as a consequence of his behaviour.

“The case has had a painful effect on the family, although they have co-operated with the police, during the course of the investi­gation and the court proceedings.

“They now wish to commence the process of trying to repair the damage and as I have already indicated, there will be no further statements by them or by me.”