Convicted terrorist back behind bars after ‘hiding finance accounts and car use’

A convicted terrorist has been sent back to jail after keeping secret financial accounts from authorities.

Kristen Brekke, 26, from south Wales, was one of three men jailed for helping a teenage jihadi follow in his big brother’s footsteps and join so-called Islamic State fighters in Syria in 2014.

Brekke worked in a Cardiff ice cream parlour with Aseel Muthana and supplied him with combat clothes.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2016, Brekke was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for preparing terrorist acts.

He was released in September 2017 and made subject to a notification requirement.

It cannot be that terrorist offenders can have unmonitored access to financial accounts and vehicles

He admitted four breaches of that requirement, on dates in 2021 and 2022, by failing to tell police about two cars he was using and about a Binance account he opened, as well as a pre-paid card account provided by Pockit.

In mitigation, the court was told Brekke was trying to provide for his family but found it difficult due to his conviction.

Jacob Bindman, for Brekke, said: “He made a couple of silly decisions over a short period of time and drove his employer on a couple of occasions to his employment.”

He said no money was transferred to or from the financial accounts.

On Tuesday, Judge Angela Rafferty sentenced Brekke to nine months in jail with a further year on extended licence.

She said a probation report found Brekke “strongly resented” the notification requirement placed on him and had sought to justify and minimise his behaviour.

She said he made efforts to “improve” his life.

The judge told him: “I accept that there is no evidence that you committed these breaches in order to commit further offences of any kind.

“Your explanations for the financial breaches are that it was easy to set up these accounts and you did not realise you had to disclose them.

“In relation to the cars, you accept there is no excuse of any kind for this when you drove the vehicles during your employment.

“In my judgment you complied until it became too difficult to do so and you then made the decision to try to avoid the rigours of the requirements.”

The judge told Brekke he is an “offender of particular concern” and added: “These requirements were designed to monitor you to keep the public safe.

“It cannot be that terrorist offenders can have unmonitored access to financial accounts and vehicles.

“It is accepted no harm was caused.

“However, I do not accept the financial offences were close to reasonable excuse or technical breaches.”