'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

Lisa Smith (pictured) has lived with a 13-hour daily curfew as part of her bail conditions since 2019, her barrister told the court on Monday. Photo: Collins Courts

Lawyers for former soldier Lisa Smith, who travelled to Syria to join Isis in 2014, have asked that before imposing sentence, the Special Criminal Court should consider her young child and the "appalling" conditions they suffered while in Syria.

Michael O'Higgins SC, for Smith, asked the court not to send his client to prison. Counsel referred to four psychological reports that found her to be "damaged" and "vulnerable" and he said she became attracted to the Islamic State due to her "very limited resources and significant burdens that other people from her peer group would not have had".