A 72-year-old Catholic lay pastor was charged with providing money to her son in Syria, who had joined ISIS, alongside her daughter and granddaughter.
Olga Monpeke, a 72-year-old eucharistic minister of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Archway, North London, is a former nursery nurse and the CEO of a first aid training company.
She appeared alongside her daughter, Stella Oyella, 52, a psychiatric nurse, and granddaughter, Vanessa Atim, 31, a businesswoman from Plaistow, east London, who started a company called ProInterns.
The three women stood in the dock at the Old Bailey on Friday, 18 November, accused with providing funds for terrorist activities in violation of section 17 of the Terrorism Act of 2000.
Joseph Ogaba allegedly committed the crimes between March and October of 2017, when he was fighting for ISIS in Syria.
The prosecutor, Lee Ingham, stated at the court that the allegations were “in the context of a relative fighting for Daesh” (ISIS).
The family was informed in April of this year that Ogaba had perished in a Western-backed detention camp.
He is believed to have departed the nation prior to September 30, 2014, when Ms. Monpeke reported him missing.
Prosecutors stated that evidence from a computer he left behind and a hard drive discovered in Syria indicated that Ogaba had joined ISIS in the same year.
Ogaba maintained in contact with his family by phone from Syria and sent them a message stating that he “desperately needed the money because of the position he was in” without elaborating.
The prosecution stated, “There is no evidence that the family supported what he had done.”
The money was allegedly transported through Uganda, and Ogaba received at least £1,000, according to reports.
However, authorities are unable to determine the exact amount that passed through, and on one occasion, a middleman stole £1,500.
Ms. Monpeke, who resides in Finsbury Park, North London, is a Ugandan citizen who has lived in the United Kingdom since 1989. Her daughter and granddaughter are both British citizens.
In the Catholic Church, a eucharistic minister assists distribute the bread and wine during communion.
Tom Wainwright, representing the defendant, stated during the court that the finances were “not straightforward” and that the defense would “likely be conducting enquiries abroad.”
The trial date was scheduled for November 13 of next year, and bail was set for all three accused.