Hoax terror alert West Midlands Pc has sentence INCREASED by two years
A police officer who sparked a major terror alert by making a hoax 999 call to his West Midlands Police colleagues today had his 'lenient' prison term increased by top judges.
Amar Tasaddiq Hussain, 29, made a malicious 999 call in December 2014 - passing on details of a"kidnap" plot targeting a police officer - which led to a man being arrested by counter-terrorism police at a tyre business in Walsall.
Hussain was jailed for seven years in May this year, but today that was increased to nine years.
Hussain had hoped his bogus tip-off would discredit an official within an Islamic community group.
But it soon became obvious to police that the claims made against the innocent party were malicious.
Hussain was convicted by a jury of two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
And following a three-week trial at Stafford Crown Court two men from Birmingham - Adil Bashir, 26, and 31-year-old Muhammad Ali Sheikh - were also convicted on the same charges and each given three year sentences.
Hussain, of Cartland Road, Small Heath, was ultimately jailed for seven years at Stafford Crown Court in May for two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Today, the case was back in court in London, where three senior judges ruled the term "unduly lenient" - and upped it to nine years.
Lord Justice Treacy said the hoax call to police had been a very serious matter, which had caused a "widespread sense of insecurity" to officers and their families.
"The false implication of a man in extremely serious terrorist offences speaks for itself," he said.
"The duration of the victim's detention after his arrest was significant."
The Court of Appeal heard the plot arose after Hussain was overlooked for the position of head of security in the organisation.
He aimed to discredit local leader Faisal Sami by making allegations against his friend Irfan Ul Haq, and thus tarnish him by association.
Two others - Adil Bashir, 26, of Cyril Road, Small Heath, and Mohammed Ali Sheikh, 31, of Pretoria Road, Bordesley Green - helped out.
A call was first made to police to allege that a false marriage was taking place at Mr Sami's address, but when officers went there, they soon discovered it was untrue.
That was followed by the false terror claim.
He said the plot was to kidnap a British Muslim police officer.
The case was back in court today after a reference by attorney general Jeremy Wright QC on the basis that Hussain's sentence was too soft.
Three-year terms passed on Bashir and Sheikh for their roles were also "unduly lenient", Lord Justice Treacy, Mr Justice Irwin and Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing were urged to rule.
Giving judgment, Lord Justice Treacy said the setting up of a man for a terror charge was a matter of the "highest level of seriousness".
"We have come to the conclusion, weighing the various factors, that the sentences passed on the offenders were indeed lenient sentences," he added.
The judges increased Hussain's term from seven to nine years and sentences being served by Bashir and Sheikh from three to five years.
