Shamima Begum was a London schoolgirl until Scotland Yard raised concerns she and two of her fellow pupils had travelled to Syria in February 2015.

The now 23-year-old was just 15 when she travelled to Istanbul in Turkey from Gatwick Airport to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) with her close friends at Bethnal Green Academy – Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15.

Despite her family’s warnings that Syria was a “dangerous place”, the then teenager, described as a “straight A student”, crossed the border just days later with the help of a Canadian spy named Mohammed Al Rasheed, according to reports.

In the Shamima Begum Story BBC podcast series, she said she was told to “pack nice clothes so you can dress nicely for your husband”.

Just 10 days after arriving in the city of Raqqa, Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was married to a Dutchman named Yago Riedijk, who had converted to Islam.

They had three children together, who all later died from malnourishment or disease. They were a one-year-old girl, a three-month-old boy and newborn son.

Ms Begum left Raqqa with her husband in January 2017, but they were eventually split up, as she claimed he was arrested for spying and tortured.

She was eventually found nine months pregnant in a refugee camp in al-Roj in February 2019 by a Times journalist.

Ms Begum told the reporter it “didn’t faze me at all” when she saw her first “severed head”, but would “do anything required just to be able to come home”.

But the runaway schoolgirl said she did not regret travelling to IS-controlled Syria, saying she had a “good time”.

The then-Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said Ms Begum could expect to be “spoken to” if she returned to the UK.

In the same month, she was stripped of her British citizenship after announcing her desire to return to the UK with her then unborn third child.

The move was deemed only permissible under international law if it did not leave her stateless.

Since then, the former IS bride has been embroiled in a battle with the British legal system – she lost her latest legal challenge over the decision to deprive her of her British citizenship on Wednesday.

Ms Begum described the initial move to revoke her citizenship as “unjust on me and my son”.

The then-home secretary Sajid Javid said although he would never leave an individual stateless, his priority was the “safety and security” of the UK.

Mr Javid was criticised by Labour after Ms Begum’s son later died – with the then-shadow home secretary Diane Abbott describing the situation as “callous and inhumane”.

She lost her first appeal to return to the UK but successfully challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal.

But the Government submitted a fresh appeal, meaning her return was put on hold pending a Supreme Court battle.

She was dealt a fresh blow when the Supreme Court ruled she could not come back to the UK – leading to her begging the British public for forgiveness.

When she appeared on TV screens in September 2021, she had drastically changed her appearance – wearing a Nike baseball cap, a grey vest, Casio watch and with her fingernails painted pink.

Ms Begum said there was “no evidence” she was a key player in preparing terrorist acts and was prepared to prove her innocence in court.

She denied her Western physical appearance on Good Morning Britain – in stark contrast to the traditional Islamic dress she previously adorned – was a publicity stunt.

In the BBC podcast series released last month, she said she understood public anger towards her, but insisted she is not a “bad person”.

She told the podcast she accepted she is viewed “as a danger, as a risk”, but blamed her portrayal in the media.

The “naive” brother of a 16-year-old jihadi bride has been found guilty of funding Islamic State in Syria.

Salim Wakil, 25, from Fleet, Hampshire, arranged the transfer of 3,000 dollars via Western Union for his sister Sumaiyyah in February last year, the Old Bailey heard.

Prosecutor Brett Weaver said: “The arrangement was made despite repeated warning from the police that any such transfer of funds to Syria could lead to him committing a criminal offence.”

He used a friend’s name in the transaction in a “deliberate attempt by the defendant to conceal his actions, demonstrating he knew perfectly well what he was doing was wrong”, the prosecutor said.

The defendant claimed he only sent the funds to help his younger sibling to return to family in Britain, even though she had married and given birth to a daughter in Raqqa, the court was told.

Wakil had lived with his parents and nine younger siblings at the family home in Fleet, including Sumaiyyah, who is now 21, the court heard.

In August 2014, aged just 16, Sumaiyyah left home and travelled to Syria, leaving behind a letter explaining her reasons for joining IS and asking her family not to tell police.

Police did not find out until the following year and the Prevent deradicalisation programme was called in.

An investigation revealed the teenager had maintained contact with her family via Skype calls and WhatsApp as well as other text communications.

During the chats, Sumaiyyah described wanting to become a martyr and talked of her husband and pregnancy, jurors heard.

While in Syria, she had married 19-year-old Abu Dujana – real name Mehdi Hassan – from Portsmouth who was killed fighting in the autumn of 2014. But Wakil repeatedly encouraged his sister to come back to Britain.

When she asked to see photographs of her younger siblings, Wakil replied: “U come see them thanks.” Wakil denied entering into a funding arrangement but was found guilty by the Old Bailey jury.

Judge Rebecca Poulet QC said she had “no doubt this defendant was naive” and was not supportive of IS himself. She said he “foolishly and wrongly” took the risk of sending money because he was “genuinely feeling concerned for the safety of his sister”.

The judge asked for a pre-sentence report and adjourned sentencing until February 8. She told the defendant: “You are now convicted of this offence on very clear evidence.

“You must understand that in putting this matter back for a pre-sentence report to find out more about you and your present situation that is in no sense a promise or suggestion that you will not immediately go back to prison.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Salim Wakil was manipulated by his sister into sending money to her, which could very easily be used for terrorism purposes.

“The law intends to cut off funding to terrorist groups and to stop money falling into the hands of people who may use it for terrorist purposes.

“By making the decision to send money and ignoring the advice of the police, Salim Wakil broke the law.

“The law applies equally to everyone, regardless of their motives, and is here to stop the funding of terrorist organisations and individuals.

“No-one has the permission to take the law into their own hands, no matter how emotional the reasoning is for doing so.”