Twitter terror trial: Mary Kaya claims account was hacked

The Twitter account retweeted an audio link to the IS group leader al-Baghdadi's speech, Even If The Disbelievers Despise Such, in November 2014

A woman accused of sharing a speech by the leader of so-called Islamic State (IS) on social media claims her Twitter account was used by someone else, a court has heard.

Mary Kaya, 57, from Batley, West Yorkshire, had about 30 followers on Twitter when she retweeted a link to an audio clip by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Ms Kaya denied posting the link.

She said she only used social media to find out about world events.

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Simon Davis, prosecuting, told the jury that Ms Kaya's previous address in Dewsbury was searched by counter terrorism police, who arrested her husband in May 2014.

Mr Davis said her Twitter account, "Justice", @GardenofGold, retweeted the link to al-Baghdadi's speech, Even If The Disbelievers Despise Such, in November 2014.

Ms Kaya was arrested in October 2015.

He said: "The message was aimed at encouraging anyone who listened to or read it to participate in terrorist activity."

The trial is at Leeds Crown Court

The court heard Ms Kaya's seized computer had been used to search for information about radical Islamic preachers, IS supporters, people who travelled to Syria, and footage of explosions and vicious attacks.

Mr Davis said the person using the computer visited accounts "generally supportive of Islamic State".

Twitter user @GardenofGold sometimes had conversations with users including an English Defence League supporter.

Mr Davis said Ms Kaya had told police that the seized technology would not contain any terrorist material.

She said no-one else used her account so she was the only person responsible if any material was found.

But in January 2016, a statement by Ms Kaya said she had never posted anything on her Twitter account and believed the account had been hacked, the jury was told.

Mr Davis said: "The irresistible conclusion is that which [Ms Kaya] first stated in interview: 'No-one else uses my account so if there's anything on there, I'm the only one guilty'."

Ms Kaya denies dissemination of a terrorist publication likely to encourage people to participate in terrorism.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday.