'JIHADI JACK' CASE Judge frees ‘devoted’ parents of ‘ISIS fighter’ who were locked up ‘because of the love of their child’

THE “devoted” parents of suspected British ISIS fighter “Jihadi Jack” were granted bail today after being locked up last week “because of the love of their child”, a court heard.

John Letts, 55, and wife Sally Lane, 54, will go on trial accused of sending more than £1700 to their Muslim convert son in war-torn Syria.

They wired 20-year-old Jack the cash to help him escape his “desperately dangerous situation”, the Old Bailey heard.

Police are said to have warned the middle-class couple they could face prosecution if they sent money to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, Syria.

Their son is believed to be the first white Briton to join the terror group, and is now thought to be living in war-torn Fallujah, Iraq.

It is also believed he has an Iraqi wife there and a son called Muhammed.

But today Mr Justice Saunders, making no criticism of the decision last week, granted the pair conditional bail at the Old Bailey.

The judge said: “These two defendants have been committed in custody from Westminster Magistrates’ Court for trial on offences for arranging to send money to their son knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect that it would or might be used for the purposes of terrorism.”

He explained the district judge had taken the view “the defendants were devoted parents who believed their son was in mortal danger and, as many parents would, they would stop at nothing to remove him from that danger”.

The judge added: “In those circumstances she concluded that there was a serious risk that they would commit further offences by sending money to their son in the belief that that would lead him to safety.

“So two perfectly decent people have ended up in custody because of the love of their child.”

The parents appeared by videolink with Letts in Wandsworth Prison, London, and his wife in Bronzefield Prison, Kent.

Lane is also charged with a further two charges of attempting to send money on January 4 this year.

Letts and Lane deny three counts of entering an arrangement to make money available for terrorist purposes, while Lane denies a further two counts of attempting to transfer money knowing it might be used for terrorism.

After hearing an outline of the prosecution case against them, the judge said: “These two are clearly desperately concerned about their son and information that they have had would indicate to them, and they appear to believe it, that if they were to send money to their son, he would be able to get out of the desperately dangerous situation he is in.

“For perfectly understandable reasons, that is considered to be an offence because of where he is and whose hands that money is likely to fall into.

“With perfectly decent parents in that situation, how can I be sure that they would not be just moved by compassion to their son and send money out there?”

Letts’ barrister Di Middleton explained that all of the factors have been present since they were on police bail from January 5.

She said: “There have been no attempts since then, not withstanding the continuing situation, the continuing fear, there have been no further attempts.

Tayib Ali, for Lane, said: “From the moment Jack left the defendants, both in communications with him, have tried to persuade him to come back to the UK or to move to a safe place. That’s been the motivation behind this.”

Jack changed his name to Abu Mohammed after telling his parents he was going to study Arabic in Kuwait.

Kathryn Selby, prosecuting, said at an earlier hearing: “This case involved repeated sending or attempts to send money to Ms Lane and Mr Letts’s son in Raqqa in Syria which is under Daesh control.

“He is believed to be at the very least linked to terrorism.

“They were told by the police on three separate occasions that this was not permitted.”

They will next appear for a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey on June 23.

By THE SUN Photo: INS NEWS AGENCY LTD