Wife ‘snitched on’ Muslim convert as he tried to join IS

A Muslim convert was snared by secret service agents as he tried to join so-called Islamic State after his pregnant wife “snitched” on him, a court heard.

Ismael Watson, 27, from Liverpool, went to Turkey but was stopped and sent back to Britain as he tried to cross the border into Syria, the Old Bailey in London heard.

Watson denies preparation of terrorist acts but, in an unusual move, has refused to attend his trial and has opted to represent himself.

At the start of his trial, judge Anuja Dhir QC told jurors not to hold it against him that he had chosen not to come to court.

The trial continues.