A husband and wife from Mitcham have been sentenced to a total of four years in prison after admitting they sent money to their nephew as he fought for Islamic State in Syria.

Mohammed Golamaully, 48, and his wife Nazimabee, 46, originally insisted they had sent £219 to their nephew Zafirr to help him with his university studies in Turkey, and denied knowledge that he was fighting with the terrorist group.

However, Mohammed pleaded guilty to the charge on September 16, with his wife following suit on October 3.

From yesterday: Mitcham couple facing jail for sending money to nephew fighting for Islamic State in Syria

Zafirr Golamaully is a well-known jihadi fighter, who uses the online pseudonym ‘Paladin of Jihad’ to describe living and fighting as part of the Islamic State. He travelled to Syria in March 2014 from his family home in Mauritius, and it is believed the money was sent to him in August of that year.

When the Golamaully family home in Middle Way was searched by police in April 2015, several mobile phones and a desktop computer were seized.

They were found to contain messages between Mohammed and Zafirr, where Mohammed encouraged his nephew to “eradicate” and “eliminate” the Kurdish rebel group PKK, and told him that fighting for Islamic State was an “Islamic obligation.”

Although Nazimabee had no direct contact with Zaffir, messages between her and Zafirr’s mother Zaleka showed Nazimabee expressing admiration for Zafirr and his sister Lubnaa, who joined him in Syria.

Nazimabee, who transferred the money to her nephew on Mohammed’s instructions, also agreed with her sister-in-law’s assertion that Muslims condemning the Charlie Hebdo attacks were “stupid idiots”.

Mohammed told Lubnaa to learn to use a gun, begin wearing a hijab and press the “Islamic concept” on her parents when she returns home. A number of Islamic State propaganda websites were saved as favourites on the computer.

Summing up, Judge Anuja Dhir QC described the messages and viewing of websites as showing “a sustained and very real sympathy for the objectives of Islamic State in Syria and their methods.

“These methods including killing innocent people in acts of terrorism.

“The material found shows your extremist beliefs before and after the payment was made. The payment has to be seen in the context of your own personal extremist views at the time.”

Speaking to Mohammed, Judge Dhir said: “It is a worrying feature of this case that an intelligent and well-respected family man, who was regarded as a good neighbour, a compassionate work-colleague and a loving parent, can behave in this way, and hold the views that you undoubtedly had at the time of this offence.”

Addressing Nazimabee, she added: “At the time you sent the funds, you had developed an interest in radical Islam, and even when you were interviewed eight-months later, you told the officers you didn’t know whether you support Islamic State and that you were still thinking about it.”

Mohammed, who was working as the manager of Huntercombe Hospital Roehampton before his arrest, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison at the Old Bailey today, November 22.

His wife was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison. Both must serve half their sentences in custody, and will be on licence for ten years after their release.