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Judge criticised for wishing 7/7 mastermind ‘well’

Judge Sir Robert Jay faced criticism after expressing sympathy towards Haroon Aswat, who remains a security threat despite release, due to legal limits on monitoring psychiatric patients, officials say.

  • At a Royal Courts of Justice hearing recently, High Court judge Sir Robert Jay wished Haroon Aswat `all the best` as Aswat prepared to leave Bethlem Royal Hospital and return to his family in Batley, West Yorkshire.
  • Aswat's legal record shows he confessed in US prison custody to roles in the 7/7 London bombings and 9/11, was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years, later reduced to seven, and has been held under psychiatric detention and diagnosis after returning to the UK.
  • Metropolitan Police counterterror chief Gareth Rees told courts that Aswat remains a `grave risk`, linked to the 7/7 bombers via 20 calls and praised al‑Qaeda while threatening violence recently.
  • A British Government source confirmed Aswat faces robust monitoring for 30 years despite a loophole forbidding ankle-tag checks on psychiatric patients; Jenrick called the judge's remarks an insult to the 52 victims, and Farage demanded the judge's sacking.
  • The High Court examined a notification order in April as hospital detention prevented a formal terrorist risk assessment, highlighting tensions between police powers and mental-health law.
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The Sun broke the news in United Kingdom on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
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