Tommy Robinson admitted to contempt of court by making false accusations against a Syrian refugee and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
During a Woolwich Crown Court hearing, Robinson—real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—admitted to ten violations of a 2021 High Court injunction.
Robinson, 41, was charged by Solicitor General attorneys with “undermining” the rule of law.
Robinson’s attorneys said that his “principles have brought him before the court.”
The proceedings that began in October 2018 culminated in Monday’s hearing.
Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian living in West Yorkshire, was attacked at school by another youngster, according to a video that went viral that month.
Then, in a message to one million Facebook fans, Yaxley-Lennon claimed that his investigation had proven Mr. Hijazi was a violent criminal—a claim that was not accurate.
The Syrian kid and his family were threatened with death when the Yaxley-Lennon film went viral.
Three years later, the High Court decided that the Yaxley-Lennon’s accusations against Mr. Hijazi amounted to defamation, awarding him £100,000 in damages.
Yaxley-Lennon was issued an injunction by the court that prevented him from repeating the fraudulent statements.
Yaxley-Lennon started reiterating the allegations in February 2023 and proceeded to upload a video to the internet, asserting that the state had “silenced” him.
At least 47 million people may have seen that movie.
Yaxley-Lennon finally exhibited the movie to thousands of his fans in Trafalgar Square this July, declaring he would not be quiet. He fled the nation the next day.
The solicitor general, Aidan Eardley KC, informed the court that Yaxley-Lennon had planned to repeat the false accusations in spite of the injunction before engaging in “evasive” tactics.
Tommy Robinson remanded in custody ahead of court date
“The high number of breaches makes this a high culpability case,” Mr. Eardley stated.
“The material is still out there, and the defendant has some control over it; it is a continuing breach.”
For Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, Sasha Wass KC stated that he was a journalist who had been abiding by his values and was a strong supporter of free expression.
She stated, “This defendant has not been cunning, dishonest, or looking to benefit himself.”
According to her, he was such a divisive character that prison governors might put him in solitary confinement, as had happened during his last incarceration, and there was medical proof that he had experienced trauma, panic attacks, and nightmares in the past.
Yaxley-Lennon was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Mr. Justice Johnson, who stated: “Court orders must be obeyed in a democratic society based on the rule of law.”
Everyone is subject to the law. No one has the authority to decide which laws or directives they follow or disregard.
They are required to follow an injunction even if they think it goes against their beliefs.
They have no right to preside over their own court as its judge. Otherwise, the rule of law and the administration of justice would disintegrate.
Because the defendant repeated the fraudulent assertions after the proceedings against him started and failed to take anything to prevent their continued distribution, the judge ruled that the contempt of court had been compounded.
If the defendant demonstrated to the court that he had taken action to remove the infringing film, the sentence could be reduced by four months in the future.
However, the court went on to say: “The defendant has not demonstrated any intention of adhering to the injunction going forward. It appears from everything he does that he believes he is above the law.
He had previously been given a suspended sentence and a six-month jail term; this was his fourth contempt case.
Separate charges have been brought against Yaxley-Lennon for not unlocking his phone for police when he was stopped and interrogated at a port under counterterrorism authority. In November, he will make his next court appearance on that accusation.
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