|
Terror suspect faces jail return
The Home Office is to
ask a panel of judges to send an Algerian terror suspect back to
prison.
The man, known only as "G", had been held for more than two years
without trial before being freed on bail on mental health grounds in
April 2004.
Officials say he broke bail conditions by having two unauthorised
visitors to his home, where he is under virtual house arrest and
24-hour surveillance. G, who is said to have al-Qaeda links, denies
he broke his bail conditions.
In April last year David Blunkett, then home secretary, described
his release as "extraordinary".
He was freed from
Belmarsh prison after judges at the Special Immigration
Appeals Commission (Siac) heard how his mental health had
deteriorated during his incarceration.
The three judges - appointed to review cases of foreign
nationals suspected of terrorist involvement - said indefinite
detention had caused a state of psychosis in G.
They agreed with Mr Blunkett that the Algerian was dangerous
because of his alleged links with al-Qaeda.
However, they argued the risk
was manageable if the man was subjected to very strict bail
conditions that in effect put him under house arrest.
|
|
G's BAIL
CONDITIONS
'House arrest'
does not yet exist in UK law, instead G is under very
strict bail conditions :
- Can only leave home with police escort
- Contact allowed only with wife, daughter, solicitor or
doctor
- Anyone else must be approved by Home Office in advance
- Electronic tag must be worn
- Tag monitoring firm must be phoned five times a day
- Equipment that can contact outside world - such as
computer or mobile phone - banned
- Existing land line phone removed and replaced with one
supplied by authorities
- Access to home must be given to police, immigration
officers and tag monitoring firm |
|
Mr Blunkett said of the
decision at the time: "I have not called it bonkers, but no doubt
other people will."
The judges said the man's mental deterioration made it less likely
he would become involved in potentially dangerous activity.
G has been kept under constant surveillance, has only received Home
Office-approved visitors and has not been allowed access to a
telephone or the internet.
Mr Blunkett said medical experts who assessed G had concluded that
he did not require psychiatric accommodation.
But Gareth Peirce, the solicitor who was acting for G, accused Mr
Blunkett of driving her client to madness.
Source: BBC News
07 February 2005
|
%20enjoins%20justice.gif)
