Dr Felicity Gerry KC Defends Saadaoui in High-Profile Terrorism Trial

Dr Felicity Gerry KC appeared for Walid Saadaoui in the terrorism trial and sentence labelled what could have been “the UK’s most deadly terror attack” and described by the Prime Minister as a “horrifying case”.

The defence case raised the issue of entrapment by an undercover operative as an abuse of process and at trial along with other legal arguments. You can read the report of the defence here: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/a-useful-idiot-entrapped-police-33112544

Felicity also raised the viability of the plot without the undercover operative in sentence mitigation. You can read the live feed of her mitigation at the sentencing hearing here:  https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-terror-mass-murder-plot-33417193.amp

The Judge’s sentencing remarks are here: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Sentencing-Remarks-Saadaoui-and-others-final.pdf

Asked after the hearing how she could defence such cases, Felicity said: “Defence counsel give a court legitimacy. An alleged terrorist must be properly defended because the right to a fair trial applies to everyone, without exception. A robust defence ensures the presumption of innocence is respected and forces the state to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, which is fundamental to the rule of law. Effective legal representation helps prevent injustice, thereby protecting fair trial rights, even in national security cases. By insisting and testing that the process is fair, defence counsel also safeguard public confidence in the criminal justice system” Felicity will not comment further at this stage as the matter is on appeal.

Felicity was instructed by Fosia Jury at Central Chambers Law and led Irfan Arif of 9 Lincoln’s Court