For more than a decade, Sally Lane and John Letts have been locked in a desperate struggle to bring their son Jack home from ISIS prisons in Syria and Iraq. The ordeal began with a single phone call over 12 years ago, when their eldest son, then a teenager, called from Syria and said, 'Mum, I'm in Syria,' before the line went dead.
A Family Torn Apart
Sally, 63, and John, 65, recall the moment that shattered their lives. Jack, an introverted teenager from a quiet Oxford neighbourhood, had been struggling with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He converted to Islam and went to Kuwait to study Arabic, but within weeks he was in ISIS-controlled Syria. 'It was just a ten-second phone call,' Sally says. 'Since then we have been screaming into a void.'
Jack has repeatedly denied joining or fighting for ISIS, claiming he was later jailed by the group. In 2016, he was seized by Kurdish forces and has been held without charge or trial in ISIS prisons in Syria, mostly incommunicado. His parents say he has been tortured and abused. The media dubbed him 'Jihadi Jack,' a label they say sealed his fate.
Legal Ordeal and Citizenship Stripped
In 2019, Sally and John were convicted of a terrorism-funding charge after trying to send Jack money to escape Syria. They were given a suspended sentence. Later, Jack was stripped of his UK citizenship, ending hopes of repatriation. The couple's marriage fell apart under the strain. 'All of this has completely destroyed the family. Everything. Absolutely everything,' Sally says.
Jack is now believed to be among nearly 6,000 men transferred to a prison in Iraq in February 2026. Human Rights Watch has warned of due process violations and risks of torture and execution. The Iraqi Ministry of Justice denies these allegations.
Desperate Appeals Ignored
The couple has appealed to both British and Canadian authorities, but to no avail. The UK Home Office says deprivation of citizenship is used to protect the public. Canada's Supreme Court declined to hear their case. 'We’ve been screaming into a void for twelve years,' Sally says. 'They have to take responsibility to protect their citizens from torture and death.'
John adds, 'We just want our son to be alive and to be freed, or at least to be dealt with properly. But we seem to have exhausted every chance.'
