A Muslim extremist couple who sent money to their nephew as he fought with Islamic State terrorists behind his parents’ back have been jailed for more than four years.

Hospital executive Mohammed Golamaully, 48, and his wife Nazimabee, 46, wired £219 to a Turkey-based IS courier so it could go to jihadi fighter Zafirr.

Their nephew had fled to Syria in March 2014, pretending to be studying nursing in Turkey when in fact he was on the frontline battling Kurdish rebel group PKK.

His parents were oblivious to his terrorist ambitions, and unaware that Mohammed and Nazimabee Golamaully were in regular contact with him as he headed for the frontline.

In secret messages, Mohammed encouraged Zafirr to “eradicate” the PKK, praising his efforts as an “Islamic obligation”, and urged Zafirr’s sister, Lubnaa, to join her brother in Syria in March last year.

He even told Lubnaa to send pictures of dead children to her mother, to convince her to convert to their radical beliefs.

Mrs Golamaully said those condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris were “stupid” and added: “When those kafirs play with fire they should expect to get burnt.”

At the Old Bailey on Tuesday morning Judge Anuja Dhir QC jailed Mohammed for two years and three months and Nazimabee for 22 months.

She said Mr Golamaully was a “dedicated extremist” at the time, and his wife had acted under his instructions.

“It’s a worrying feature of this case that an intelligent and well respected family man who was regarded as a good neighbour, compassionate work colleague, and loving parent could behave in this way and hold the views you undoubtedly have”, she told him.

She said it was equally worrying that Mrs Golamaully, a “law-abiding” former IT consultant who was born in London, made the payment.

Zafirr hit the headlines in January 2015 when - tweeting under the name @PaladinofJihad - he taunted victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, saying: “SnailEaters ate lead”.

The Golamaullys knew he was behind the Twitter account, and kept track of his military training and transfer to the frontline with IS.

“They deliberately kept Zafirr Golamaully’s plans and travel from his parents and worked with Zafirr to misinform them of his true location and purpose for travel, said to be nursing training, even after his parents had begun to suspect where he was”, said prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds.

He said Mohammed was “regularly reading Zafirr’s online posts from April 2014” and conversations between them show his extremist beliefs.

The court heard he referred to the PKK as “dogs” and said they “need to be eliminated”, and suggested Lubnaa should wear a hijab when she returns to the UK and press upon her parents the “Islamic concept”.

“Mohammed Golamaully recommended that Lubnaa Golamaully should send her mother photographs of dead children and have a serious chat with her about Islam”, said the prosecutor.

The couple arranged to send Zafirr funds in August 2014, with Nazimabee making a Western Union transfer of £219 to ISIS courier Mohamed Alhmidan on her husband’s instructions.

The contact was exposed when the activities of Alhmidan fell under suspicion last year, and money transfers including from the Golamaullys were probed.

When questioned, the couple, of Middle Way, Streatham, insisted they believed their nephew was studying in Turkey.

But they both pleaded guilty to providing money to another to be used for the purposes of terrorism before the case came to trial.

Richard Thomas, defending, said Mohammed Golamaully had worked for many years in the NHS as a mental health nurse, at Camden and Islington NHS Trust and Maudsley Hospital, before joining the private sector.

However he lost his job as manager at the Huntercombe Hospital in Roehampton because of his conviction.

He said Golamaully had been “naive” and childish, and was now “horrified” about what he had done now he understood the true nature of IS.

Hussain Nabir, for Mrs Golamaully, pleaded with the judge to suspended her prison sentence, emphasising her role as a mother.

Both will serve half their sentences before being considered for release. They will both be on licence for ten years after release.