Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith has begun an appeal against the severity of her 15-month jail sentence for membership of the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
Senior Counsel Michael O' Higgins submitted that the sentence was "too high" and that Smith was not given enough credit for the mitigating factors.
These included the fact that she was the mother of a child whose father was deceased, spent time in custody already, the conditions in the Al-Hawl camp, the assistance she gave to the prosecution and her co-operation with gardaí.
He also said that adequate weight had not been given to an expert report by Professor Anne Speckard, who said that Smith had denounced ISIS.
However, counsel for the prosecution Sean Gillane said the headline sentence was undoubtedly a legitimate figure, given Smith’s decision to join ISIS was considered and determined.
He also said the court "more than amply" gave her credit for the mitigating factors in the context of the manner in which the offence was committed and went so far as to give her almost 50% credit.
Judgment in the appeal has been reserved.
