Person: Lisa Smith

Lisa Smith weeps as she gets 15 months for Islamic State membership

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, delivering the court's verdict, said that she went to Syria with her "eyes wide open" having watched videos of Isis atrocities

Fri, 22 Jul, 2022

'Vulnerable' Lisa Smith has already served a sentence and should not be jailed, court told

Michael O'Higgins SC, barrister for Lisa Smith, said she has already served a custodial sentence in Syria

Mon, 11 Jul, 2022

Lisa Smith found guilty of being a member of terrorist organisation Isis

The judge noted that religion is "irrelevant to membership of Isis" as a person would not gain immunity for a crime because he believed he had a religious obligation to persecute witches.

Mon, 30 May, 2022

Lisa Smith's lawyers make fresh bid to have charges against her dismissed

Previous judgment of the High Court ruled that the Terrorism Offences Act 2005 can only be used to prosecute people for offences committed against the Irish State or Irish citizens abroad and therefore has no jurisdiction to try Ms Smith, court told

Thu, 07 Apr, 2022

Prosecution evidence 'falls short', barrister tells Lisa Smith trial

Lisa Smith's defence barrister disputed the evidence from Dr Gaub, a social scientist and expert on Middle Eastern conflicts

Wed, 30 Mar, 2022

Barrister tells trial Lisa Smith chose to go to area controlled by 'demonic' terrorists

Ms Smith's defence counsel told the court that she did not travel to Syria to take part in combat. She was vulnerable, brittle, suicidal and depressed

Tue, 29 Mar, 2022

Islamic State provided simple answers to life's questions, historian tells Lisa Smith trial

The court heard there were many Islamic scholars who denounced terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but there were other "respected voices" who saw his caliphate as legitimate

Mon, 28 Mar, 2022

'Sufficient evidence' to consider whether Lisa Smith was member of Isis, court rules

Ms Smith's lawyers had applied to the court to direct not-guilty verdicts on the grounds there is no evidence to support the prosecution case and that to even consider a verdict would be unfair and could lead to a miscarriage of justice

Thu, 24 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith's lawyers claim 'no evidence' that she joined or funded Isis

Prosecution alleges the former soldier became the 'life blood' of the terror group as a propaganda tool

Tue, 22 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith trial hears messages discussing Islamic law and Isis with other Muslims

Prosecution case against the former soldier, who denies membership of terrorist group Isis, will finish next week, court told

Wed, 16 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith said of terrorist leader: 'At least Abu Bakr did something while the rest of us just sit and talk', trial hears

Special Criminal Court trial has been listening to private Facebook messages Ms Smith exchanged with other Muslims before she travelled to Syria in 2015

Tue, 15 Mar, 2022

Women who tried to leave IS faced prison, torture and death, Smith trial told

Women who tried to leave IS in Syria faced imprisonment, torture and death an expert on Middle Eastern conflicts has told the trial of Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier who denies membership of Isis.

Mon, 14 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith lawyers waving Data Protection Act like 'garlic at a vampire,' says barrister

Counsel for the State said the right to privacy is not absolute and a breach of a person's right to privacy does not mean the evidence gleaned must be excluded

Thu, 03 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith's lawyers tell trial Facebook involved in 'wholesale breach of privacy rights'

Counsel said it is the court's job to protect people's rights when there is a "corporation out there recording every utterance from 'Happy Birthday' up"

Wed, 02 Mar, 2022

Lawyers object to evidence of Lisa Smith's alleged contact with convicted terrorists

Ms Smith is believed to have been in contact with John Georgelas and Robert Edward Cerantonio

Tue, 01 Mar, 2022

Lisa Smith told fellow soldier 'we are being controlled by a shower of b*****ds', court hears

The court also heard she was promoting Islam as "the way forward" to a fellow soldier

Mon, 28 Feb, 2022

Judges watch videos of Lisa Smith's Garda interviews as trial resumes

The trial is in legal argument regarding mutual assistance requests made by gardaí investigating the allegations against Ms Smith to the authorities in America and Australia

Fri, 25 Feb, 2022

'Medical difficulty' delays Lisa Smith trial by a week

The trial continues next Tuesday

Wed, 16 Feb, 2022

Local media comments had sparked Garda concerns for Lisa Smith's safety in Ireland

The court also heard of voice messages and texts she sent to her family while she was being held in the Ain Issa camp in Syria in mid-2019

Tue, 15 Feb, 2022

Lisa Smith saw dead man on a cross with his eyes gouged out, court told

She accepted that there were "bad things happening" but she said "you would have to be a Muslim to understand"

Mon, 14 Feb, 2022

Lisa Smith watched video of Islamic State drowning men in cage before going to Syria

After watching the video, Ms Smith posted a message to a WhatsApp group saying: 'Now I understand why they were drowned. I didn't know the other half of the story,' the Special Criminal Court has heard

Tue, 08 Feb, 2022

Lisa Smith said witness is 'selfish jihadi' and another 'lied about many things', trial hears

Ms Smith denied to the court that she has extremist views and said if she had extremist views before, she doesn't now

Mon, 07 Feb, 2022

'Fear of hellfire' spurred Lisa Smith to join caliphate, court told

She said she would not go again if another caliphate were announced, adding: "It was four years in prison, that's the way we look at it now."

Wed, 02 Feb, 2022

Lisa Smith's lawyers challenge the legality of her arrest

Her defence solicitor said that the Act Ms Smith was arrested under has no provision for offences alleged to have taken place outside of Ireland

Mon, 31 Jan, 2022

Islamic State propagandist had proposed to Lisa Smith in Syria, court told

Witness Tanya Joya told the court Lisa Smith said she wanted to use her army training to fight in Syria

Fri, 28 Jan, 2022

Court hears of Lisa Smith's marriage to al Qaeda member in Syria

Tanya Joya said Ms Smith was "brainwashed into thinking if you became a martyr you get to go to paradise."

Thu, 27 Jan, 2022

'Naive' Lisa Smith tried to justify suicide bombings, trial told

A witness told the court Lisa Smith’s interest in Islam was “more political, not so much Islamic”

Wed, 26 Jan, 2022

Former soldier Lisa Smith 'willing to die as an IS martyr', court hears

The Co Louth woman, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges of membership of the illegal organisation and of providing funds to benefit the group

Tue, 25 Jan, 2022

Lisa Smith wanted to 'die a martyr' for Islamic State, trial told

The trial against the 39-year-old Dundalk woman, who is a former member of the Defence Forces, is now underway

Tue, 25 Jan, 2022

Lisa Smith trial to begin after court rejects bid to dismiss terror charges

The 39-year-old, from Co Louth, is accused of being a member of so-called Islamic State (IS) and financing terrorism.

Mon, 24 Jan, 2022

Lawyers for Isis suspect Lisa Smith to ask for charges against her to be dropped

Dundalk woman charged with being a member of unlawful terrorist group Islamic State (Isis) between October 28, 2015, and December 1, 2019

Tue, 11 Jan, 2022

Witnesses in US and Australia will not have to travel to Ireland in case of Lisa Smith

Ms Smith's defence had objected to the application, pointing to difficulties with video-link evidence in the trial of Aaron Brady, writes Paul Neilan.

Fri, 19 Nov, 2021

Defence 'printers regularly crashing' due to 'enormous' amount of Lisa Smith material

Counsel said that with some material "when you go to download it, it gives you a time measured in hours but it never actually finishes - it cuts out"

Mon, 01 Nov, 2021

Lisa Smith wins court case fighting her exclusion from UK

She was served with a notice by the British Home Secretary to exclude her from the United Kingdom on the grounds of national security in December

Fri, 07 May, 2021

Lisa Smith fights exclusion from the UK

Co Louth woman, charged with membership of the Islamic State, is appealing British Home Office regulations barring her from the UK on grounds her father is from Belfast

Thu, 22 Apr, 2021

Ruth Doris: Tech firm using TV sets to care for older people

A Belfast-based age-tech company wants to help older adults to stay living independently in their own homes by supporting better communication with family and healthcare providers, writes Ruth Doris.

Sun, 15 Mar, 2020

Lisa Smith's bail conditions include curfew and an internet ban

Former Irish Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith, who is facing trial accused of ISIS membership, has been granted bail with strict conditions including an internet and social media ban.

Thu, 19 Dec, 2019

Lisa Smith further remanded in custody for book of evidence to be completed

Former Irish defence forces soldier Lisa Smith, who was charged with membership of ISIS, has been further remanded in prison custody for a book of evidence to be completed.

Wed, 11 Dec, 2019

DPP considers evidence in Lisa Smith case

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was last night weighing up whether there is enough evidence to give the green light to charge returned alleged Islamic State supporter Lisa Smith.

Wed, 04 Dec, 2019

Cormac O'Keeffe: Lisa Smith arrest suggests possible prosecution for terror offences

Former Irish soldier who lived in Islamic State territory denies she was an IS fighter, writes Cormac O’Keeffe

Tue, 03 Dec, 2019

Gardaí studying statements by returned Islamic State supporter Lisa Smith

Ms Smith was arrested just before 11am on Sunday after she was flown from Turkey along with her two-year-old daughter.

Mon, 02 Dec, 2019

Lisa Smith’s repatriation: Deprivation of citizenship a mistake

It was right and proper that Lisa Smith and her daughter be brought back to Ireland as Irish citizens and treated in a humane manner.

Mon, 02 Dec, 2019

Lisa Smith returns: Foreign agencies’ work forms key evidence

Intelligence gathered by foreign security services on returned Islamic State supporter Lisa Smith is a key part of evidence being put to the Dundalk woman in questioning.

Mon, 02 Dec, 2019

Taoiseach confirms Gardaí may look at prosecuting Lisa Smith upon her return to Ireland

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed that former ISIS bride Lisa Smith is returning to Ireland this weekend and that gardai may be in a position to charge her.

Sat, 30 Nov, 2019