Court archive
Different people may share this name. This page collects matching printed names for browsing; it does not establish that these reports concern the same person. Underlying profiles remain separate.
2025-05-09 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Court of Appeal hearing on 9 May 2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) argued that former soldier Lisa Smith's 2022 conviction for membership of the Islamic State (ISIS) was sound and should be upheld. DPP counsel Tony McGillicuddy cited evidence from Smith's own text messages, social media, and testimony from witnesses such as…
2025-04-10 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, aged 43, appeals her conviction for membership of the Islamic State, arguing that her only role was that of a housewife—cooking, cleaning, and caring for her husband—an act the State used to prove membership. She travelled to Syria in 2015 under a "religious obligation" and has denied any active participation in the organisation. Her…
2024-05-13 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 42‑year‑old former soldier from Dundalk, Co. Louth, is preparing to file appeal submissions against her conviction for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State. The appeal will be heard on the Court of Appeal list scheduled for July 22. Smith was first convicted in 2022 by the Special Criminal Court for travelling to Syria in…
2023-03-08 · Dundalk, Louth
Former soldier Lisa Smith, aged 41, remains in custody after the Court of Appeal rejected her appeal against a 15‑month sentence for membership of the Islamic State. The Special Criminal Court had convicted her for joining ISIS between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, after she travelled to Syria in 2015. The appeal court dismissed all…
2022-10-04 · Dundalk, Louth
Former soldier Lisa Smith, aged 40, was convicted of membership of ISIS by the Special Criminal Court and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Smith travelled to ISIS‑controlled Syria in 2015, where she married, kept a house and did not participate in state‑building or positive acts for ISIS. Her lawyers argue that she was at the lowest level of the…
2022-07-27 · Dundalk, Louth
The Court of Appeal declined to consider Lisa Smith's bail application, a former Irish soldier convicted of joining ISIS after travelling to Syria in 2015. Smith was jailed five days earlier for a 15‑month sentence. The three‑judge panel agreed to hear an appeal against the severity of her sentence on October 4, before any appeal of her…
2022-07-22 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier from Dundalk, Co Louth, has been jailed for 15 months by the Special Criminal Court following her conviction for membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015, and December 1st, 2019. Smith, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty by a three-judge, non-jury court. Mr…
2022-07-22 · Dublin
Lisa Smith, an Irish former soldier, was arrested after returning from Syria where she had lived with a Tunisian husband and later a Turkish man. She claimed she joined the Islamic State (IS) out of religious obligation, citing fear of hellfire and a belief that hijrah was mandatory for Muslims. Witnesses described her conversion to Islam in…
2022-07-11 · Dundalk, Louth
Lawyers for Lisa Smith, a 40‑year‑old former soldier from Dundalk, have asked the Special Criminal Court to consider her young child and the harsh conditions she endured in Syrian camps before sentencing her for membership of the Islamic State. Michael O'Higgins SC cited four psychological reports describing her as "damaged" and "vulnerable," and…
2022-05-30 · Dundalk, Louth
Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 39, was found guilty of membership in the Islamic State by the Special Criminal Court. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, rejected Smith's claim that she joined the group out of religious obligation or to live under Sharia law, stating that religion is irrelevant to criminal membership. Smith was not found…
2022-05-30 · Dundalk, Louth
Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 39, was found not guilty by the Special Criminal Court of financing terrorism. The court, a three‑judge panel, delivered its judgment on the charge that she sent €800 via Western Union to a named man on 6 May 2015, an act alleged to have supported the Islamic State. Judge Tony Hunt noted it was reasonably…
2022-03-21 · Dundalk, Louth
In March 2022 the Special Criminal Court heard that former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 40, had warned her family to become Muslims before it was too late. Smith, who denies membership of ISIS, sent Facebook Messenger messages to her sister Lorna in December 2015 while she was in the Islamic State in Syria. She told Lorna that she would never…
2022-03-15 · Dundalk, Louth
In the Special Criminal Court, former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 40, pleaded not guilty to membership of the Islamic State and to financing terrorism. The court heard private Facebook messages exchanged by Smith with other Muslims before her 2015 travel to Syria. The messages included discussions on Islam, marriage, the role of women, and the…
2022-03-14 · Dundalk, Louth
During a Special Criminal Court hearing, Dr Florence Gaub, a social scientist and director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, testified about the treatment of women in the Islamic State (IS). She explained that women who attempted to leave IS-controlled territory were deemed traitors, spies or cowards and faced imprisonment,…
2022-03-09
The Special Criminal Court trial of Lisa Smith, 40, who denies charges of membership of Islamic State and funding terrorism, heard expert testimony from political scientist Dr Florence Gaub. Dr Gaub testified that individuals who travelled to Isis-controlled Syria and engaged in any act of support, such as sending money or joining territory,…
2022-03-08 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Tony Hunt ruled that Facebook messages exchanged between Lisa Smith and known jihadists in Syria and Australia could be admitted as evidence in her trial for membership of the Islamic State and financing terrorism. Smith's lawyers had sought to exclude the messages, arguing that their use violated…
2022-03-03 · Dundalk, Louth
In the Special Criminal Court, counsel for the State, Sean Gillane SC, defended the use of Facebook messages as admissible evidence in the trial of Lisa Smith, a 40‑year‑old from Dundalk charged with membership in the Islamic State and financing terrorism. Gillane argued that the Data Protection Act does not render privacy rights absolute and…
2022-03-02 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, lawyers for Lisa Smith, aged 40 from Dundalk, argue that Facebook's indefinite storage of private messages constitutes a wholesale breach of privacy rights. Michael O'Higgins SC objects to the admissibility of messages exchanged between Smith and known Islamist terrorists in Australia and Syria dating back to…
2022-03-01 · Dundalk, Louth
Lawyers for Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier aged 40 from Dundalk, Co. Louth, are contesting evidence of Facebook messages that prosecutors claim link her to Islamic State and a convicted terrorist. Smith denies membership in the unlawful terrorist group between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019 and denies financing terrorism by sending €800…
2022-02-28 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Defence Forces member from Dundalk, Co Louth, pleaded not guilty to three charges at the Special Criminal Court. She is accused of membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015, and December 1st, 2019; financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union to a named man on May 6th, 2015;…
2022-02-25 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court resumed Lisa Smith's trial after a seven‑day break caused by a medical issue that kept the three judges away. The court, which had previously heard transcripts of Smith's Garda interviews, now focuses on legal arguments about mutual assistance requests to American and Australian authorities. Smith, 39, denies membership…
2022-02-22 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court adjourned Lisa Smith's non‑jury trial to next Friday after medical difficulties prevented the three judges from attending. Smith, 39, from Dundalk, Co. Louth, denies membership of the Islamic State between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019 and denies financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union to a named man…
2022-02-15 · Dundalk, Louth
In February 2022 the Special Criminal Court heard that Garda James Kilgannon had concerns for Lisa Smith's safety after comments on local media suggested she should not return to Ireland. Kilgannon explained that part of his duty was to ensure her safety when she began living with her mother in Dundalk. He noted that Smith had reintegrated…
2022-02-14 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier aged 39 from Dundalk, denies membership in Islamic State. She claims she saw a single atrocity – a dead man hanging on a cross with his eyes gouged out – while living in Syria, but says she did not witness public executions or other atrocities. Smith says she was there to "build the Islamic State" and that she…
2022-02-08 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Irish soldier from Dundalk, denies membership in Islamic State. She was arrested at Dublin Airport after flying from Syria, where she had travelled to join the caliphate about four years earlier. In the Special Criminal Court she pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group between 28 October…
2022-02-07 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier aged 39 from Dundalk, denies membership in the Islamic State and denies extremist views. She told Gardaí that a prosecution witness, Carol Karimah Duffy, taught her false information about Islam, including Osama bin Laden and Sharia law, and that Duffy called her a "selfish jihadi." Smith said she was initially…
2022-02-03 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court heard testimony from FBI Agent Alan Goehring regarding John Georgelas, an American Islamic convert who taught Lisa Smith about the Quran. Agent Goehring stated that Georgelas was placed on an Interpol red alert in June 2016 for charges including providing material support to a terrorist organisation. He further noted…
2022-02-02 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Irish soldier from Dundalk, pleaded not guilty to membership of the Islamic State and to financing terrorism. She told the Special Criminal Court that she travelled to Syria in 2015 because she feared eternal damnation if she did not join the caliphate, believing it would be a peaceful state where she could raise…
2022-02-01 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Irish soldier from Dundalk, was arrested in December 2019 on suspicion of membership in the Islamic State and of financing terrorism. She told Gardaí that she had moved to Syria to help build a caliphate, believing that Muslims should live under Islam and that the return of the caliphate would precede the return…
2022-01-31 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing on 31 January 2022, lawyers for former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, who denies membership of Islamic State, challenged the legality of her 2019 arrest. Michael O'Higgins SC argued that Smith was detained under the Offences Against the State Act 1939, which does not cover offences alleged to have occurred outside…
2022-01-28 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Defence Forces member aged 39 from Dundalk, Co. Louth, denies membership in the Islamic State. In 2013, she exchanged messages with American Islamic scholar John Georgelas, who was living in Egypt at the time. Georgelas invited her to travel to Egypt to study under him and offered to pay her to care for his wife, Tania Joya's…
2022-01-27 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Tania Joya, a UK national radicalised in her teens, testified that former Defence Forces member Lisa Smith, aged 39, was indoctrinated into a false belief in a fake god and travelled to Syria in 2013 to join the rebellion against the Assad regime. Joya described Smith as excited, optimistic, and eager to die…
2022-01-26 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Defence Forces member from Dundalk, is on trial before the Special Criminal Court for membership of the Islamic State and for sending €800 to a man via Western Union. Witness Carol Karimah Duffy, a Muslim teacher who converted in 2001, testified that Smith spoke about jihad, suicide bombings and the "harsh end of…
2022-01-25 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Irish Defence Forces member, pleaded not guilty to membership of the Islamic State and to financing terrorism. She travelled to Syria in 2015, claiming to have "made hijrah" and to have expressed a desire to live under Sharia law and to die a martyr. Smith married a UK national in Syria, who had served on the Iraq…
2022-01-24 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court rejected Lisa Smith's application to dismiss the charges of membership in the Islamic State. Judge Tony Hunt, hearing the case under the Criminal Justice Act 1999, ruled that the trial would proceed. Smith, 39, of Dundalk, faces charges under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for being a member of ISIS…
2022-01-19 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a 39‑year‑old former Defence Forces member from Dundalk, faces charges under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for alleged membership of Islamic State between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, and for financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union to a named recipient on 6 May 2015. Her lawyers argue…
2022-01-17 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing on 17 January 2022, defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC criticised a statement released by former Minister of State Lucinda Creighton. Creighton had said that Lisa Smith's attempt to have ISIS membership charges dismissed posed a "significant threat to European security" and that the courts must proceed with…
2022-01-11 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, aged 39 and from Dundalk, Co Louth, faces charges under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for alleged membership of the Islamic State (ISIS) between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, and for financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union to a named man on 6 May 2015. Her lawyers, represented by Michael…
2021-11-19 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court has ruled that international witnesses in the trial of Lisa Smith, a former Defence Forces member, may give evidence by video-link. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt granted the prosecution's application, citing the current public health climate and the logistical difficulties of travel from Australia and the US. Ms…
2021-11-01 · Dundalk, Louth
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, the defence of former Defence Forces member Lisa Smith faced a massive volume of evidence. Ms Smith, 39, is charged under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for membership in ISIS from 28 October 2015 to 1 December 2019 and for financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union to a named…
2021-10-20 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court has been informed of an "absolutely gigantic" amount of disclosure for the trial of former Defence Forces member Lisa Smith, charged with membership of the Islamic State and financing terrorism. Ms Smith, 39, from Dundalk, is on bail and was not required to attend the court hearing. Her barrister, Michael O'Higgins SC,…
2021-07-30 · Dundalk, Louth
The Special Criminal Court asked counsel to update the court on the status of the Lisa Smith trial. Judge Tony Hunt requested a briefing and scheduled a further mention in November. Smith, 39, of Dundalk, faces charges under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for membership of the Islamic State from 28 October 2015 to 1 December…
2020-09-14 · Dundalk, Louth
Ms Lisa Smith, a 38‑year‑old former Irish Defence Forces member from County Louth, has been scheduled to stand trial at the Special Criminal Court on 11 January 2022. The trial, expected to last 12 weeks, will be presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt with Judges Sarah Berkeley and James Faughnan. Smith faces charges under the Criminal Justice…
2020-08-31 · Dundalk, Louth
Lisa Smith, a former Irish Defence Forces member aged 38 from County Louth, has been ordered to be tried in the non‑jury Special Criminal Court. She faces charges under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for membership of the Islamic State (ISIS) between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, a charge that carries a maximum sentence…
2017-12-11 · Dublin
Lisa Smith, 36, of Harelawn Park, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine, heroin, MDMA and ketamine for sale or supply at her home on 1 April 2016. Gardaí found €210,000 worth of drugs and a cocaine press under a kick board in her kitchen after a search warrant. Men reportedly came to her kitchen to…
2017-03-09 · Dublin
Lisa Smith, 36, of Harelawn Park, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine, heroin, MDMA and ketamine on 1 April 2016. Garda Gavin Curran reported that a search warrant led to the discovery of €210,000 of drugs and a cocaine press under a kick board in Smith's kitchen. Smith admitted the items…