Abu Hamza Allowed to Appeal
Charles Johnson
Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 3:21 pm PDT • Views: 195
Abu Hamza, the hook-handed imam from the UK’s infamous Finsbury Park mosque, sentenced to seven years in prison for inciting murder, will be allowed to appeal his sentence. (Hat tip: kasper.)
Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri has been given the go-ahead to challenge his convictions.
Lawyers for Abu Hamza, 48, told the Court of Appeal that the long delay in bringing a prosecution against him had made a fair trial “impossible”. Judges at the London court said the case was “arguable” and agreed to a full hearing in October.
Abu Hamza, who did not appear in court, was jailed for seven years for inciting racial hatred and soliciting murder.
Edward Fitzgerald, QC for the preacher, told the court that his client was convicted on the basis of speeches he had made between 1997 and 2000 - six years before his trial.
“This meant that a unique series of events supervened which prejudiced his chances of a fair trial.”
Mr Fitzgerald said these events included the 11 September attacks on New York, and the 7 July bombings in London. “It further meant that he was subjected to a relentless campaign of adverse media publicity condemning him as a preacher of hate and inciter of violence,” he said.
Frank says: