Sandie Seward
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Radical Muslim Cleric gets Seven Years.Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza has failed in an appeal against his convictions for incitement to murder and race-hate offences. The 48-year-old was jailed for seven years. During appeal proceedings against convictions on 11 of the 15 charges Hamza faced, it was argued that a fair trial in February was made impossible by the delay in prosecuting him.
His QC, Edward Fitzgerald, told the court it was unfair to put him on trial at the Old Bailey in 2006 for speeches made in the years 1997 to 2000.
He submitted that the 9/11 terror attacks and the July 2005 bombings in London, along with a campaign against him by the media and leading politicians, "prejudiced" chances of a fair trial.
During his month-long trial, the prosecution alleged Hamza was a recruiting sergeant for global terrorism.
The prosecution case against him was that in sermons in London and elsewhere in the UK "he was preaching terrorism, homicidal violence and hatred".
Hamza was convicted of inciting his followers to murder non-Muslims and Jews.
He was also convicted of stirring up racial hatred and possessing a terror "manual", the Encyclopaedia of the Afghani Jihad.
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