A convicted terrorist who was jailed for plotting an attack on an airport has been sent back to jail after getting a job as a binman on release.
Andrew Rowe, 50, of St Johns Wood, north west London, failed to tell police that he was driving bin lorries while employed by Serco as a rubbish collector in 2019 in breach of a court notification order.
Over two months, Rowe drove nine vehicles a total of 31 times as part of his work at Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
On Thursday, he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 10 months in jail, having admitted nine breaches.
Judge Angela Rafferty QC stressed that notification requirements were of utmost importance to "keep the public safe".
She highlighted the "carnage" of attacks like in London Bridge, Westminster Bridge and Finsbury Park in which vehicles were used as weapons.
Rejecting a non-custodial sentence, she added: "You, a terrorist offender, drove a heavy goods vehicle in this city without notifying the police you were doing so."
She added: "You put your own self interest above the notification requirements."
In 2005, Rowe was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of having a notebook containing details on how to fire mortar bombs and a code for terrorism.
They referred to “airports, airline crews, explosives, firearms, army bases and three targets”.
That sentence was reduced on appeal to 10 years in prison.
The defendant was released from prison in 2010 and made the subject of a 15-year notification order.
He was notified in March 2019 of a new obligation to give details of all vehicles used by him following a change in legislation.
It followed a series of terror attacks involving the use of vehicles as weapons in Britain and abroad.
In August 2019, Rowe told an officer that he was looking for a job driving heavy goods vehicles.
Police became aware he had got work with Serco via a recruitment agency to drive refuse lorries without notifying them.
Since starting his job, Rowe did not give police information about the vehicles he was using.
However, the court heard the defendant had told the agency and Serco about his previous convictions.
In mitigation, Catherine Oborne said: "This is a defendant who could have done more to have complied with the notification requirements placed upon him.
"But he did not do nothing and what I would respectfully submit is this is a person who has buried their head in the sand and has learned a very sharp and significant lesson as a result of it."
She told the court her client had expressed a desire to "live a normal life and get back in society".
"He was trying to do a decent job as a refuse collector. That job did give him pride and dignity.
"He was described as one of the best workers for Serco and they were considering offering him a full-time position rather than as agency staff."
On the risk of allowing a terror offender to drive a large vehicle, Ms Oborne added: "Of course there is a plain and obvious concern that the police would no doubt have about use of HGV lorries but there was no specific risk in respect or this defendant himself.
"He was a defendant who had been released into the community for nine years and although convicted of other offences, he has not been convicted of any further terrorism offences or and further breach."
The court heard Rowe did not want to live on benefits and had engaged with a painting and decorating course, and a university degree in international development and NGO management.
Prosecutor Peter Ratliff said: "This defendant lost his job as a consequence of these proceedings."
