Courts / Louth / Report
'Membership is not a state of mind': Lisa Smith claims her only role was as 'housewife' in bid to overturn IS membership conviction
Summary
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 legal team, led by Michael O'Higgins SC, contended that membership requires a formal application and acceptance, not merely a shared belief or support. The Court of Appeal, hearing the case on 10 April 2025, noted that Smith had not performed any overt acts of wrongdoing beyond domestic duties. The appeal, which continues tomorrow, seeks to overturn the 15‑month sentence imposed by the Special Criminal Court in 2022, where the judges found her to have joined the group during her stay in Syria. The court had previously rejected her earlier appeal against the sentence in March 2023. Lisa Smith pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Membership is not a state of mind': Lisa Smith claims her only role was as 'housewife' in bid to overturn IS membership conviction. Charges or matters: membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28, 2015 and December 1, 2019. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- October 28, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 1, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 2014 Other
- October 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2025-04-10 Publication
Why: Mr O'Higgins said that Smith explained that she had travelled to Syria out of a religious obligation. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28, 2015 and December 1, 2019 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: He said that the nub of the prosecution case was that Smith had been keeping house, cooking, cleaning and having babies conceived to be "future warriors". "No one gets jailed for cooking meals, they get jailed for membership," said Mr O'Higgins, adding that the only thing the prosecution could point to was that Smith fed and looked after her husband, which they claimed was "helping the war effort". "The only overt act the prosecution relied on was her role as a housewife," he said. When Smith was sentenced to 15 months in prison in October 2022, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted that while she is a low risk for re-offending, she was "persistent and determined" in her efforts to travel to Syria and join Isis and has shown no remorse for her actions.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Special Criminal Court
- Falls Road
- Shankill Road
Topics
Related court reports
- Worker sacked over punch-up with takeaway driver wins job back
- Legal first sees miscarriage of justice certificate for IRA membership conviction quashed
- Lorry driver who imported €1m in cannabis jailed for five years
- Explosive device allegedly stored in National Museum at Collins' Barracks
- On-bail home invader who dragged car owner along ground has sentence cut
- Amateur fighter who 'brutally killed' allegedly abusive mother - kicking her to death and stepping on her 'lifeless body' as he left her to die - gets 6.5 years
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request