Lisa Smith is "a very vulnerable and damaged person" who lived life unsure who she is and does not know what she is looking for, the Special Criminal Court heard today.
The sentence hearing for the former member of the Defence Forces, convicted of membership of the terrorist organisation ISIS, was also told that the 40-year-old is dependent, docile, self-effacing and suffering mental health issues as well as post traumatic stress disorder.
Her senior counsel Michael O'Higgins offered a plea of mitigation on her behalf to the three judges today.
Smith wept in the dock today as the details of her childhood, her time in the army, her conversion to and practice as a Muslim, and her life in Syria were outlined.
Referring to three psychologists' reports, he said that "on a scale of grimness of one to five" Lisa Smith's childhood and family background was "four".
She witnessed "destructive behaviour" he said and was "in the midst of a mental health crisis".
He said she joined the Irish Army at 19 years of age for security and because she needed money.
After a six-month induction period which she found "overwhelming", she settled in.
However, she lost her religion and was looking for answers when she converted to Islam, Mr O'Higgins said, although in her quest for knowledge she "did not fully appreciate that her mentor's views were not the norm".
He also said that Lisa Smith was afraid of hell and the fires of damnation and "wanted to be the best Muslim she could be".
He outlined to the court the violent and abusive nature of her marriage in Syria.
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Mr O'Higgins said "there was shouting and bullying", she was "battered black and blue", pushed, slapped with "an open hand to face, hit with fists, her nose was damaged and she sustained black eyes".
He said she was grabbed by the hair, dragged across the room by the hair and her husband, who has since died, would make her eat as "punishment" but also deprive her of food.
Smith also spent time in the Al-Hawl and other camps which Mr O'Higgins described as "absolutely appalling and extremely frightening".
He said there were extremists there, women who were seeking revenge for the murders of their husbands and many people were murdered.
He described one case where a woman's body was "chopped up".
They thought she was a disbeliever, he said, there was an undercurrent of fear and she was surrounded by fences and guards and locked in and patrolled by security and dogs at night.
However, he also said that Smith "had resilience from her time in the army, her belief in God and that everything in this life is temporary".
He asked that in the event of a custodial sentence, her time in the camps, her time on bail and the needs of her child be taken into consideration.
He also submitted that the offence is "at the lower end" attracting a maximum sentence of two years.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned sentencing until Friday week.
