Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, has appeared in court over contempt claims (Picture: David Parry/PA Wire)
Tommy Robinson has pleaded guilty to contempt of court at Woolwich Crown Court.
The two-day hearing concerns allegations he breached a 2021 High Court order which banned him from repeating libellous allegations he made against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him.
Robinson, 41 whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is accused of contempt after airing a banned film at a protest in Trafalgar Square in July.
The documentary, called ‘Silenced’ – which shows a Syrian refugee being assaulted by another pupil in the playground at a school in Huddersfield – was broadcast despite a judge previously calling it contempt of court.
People outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, where political activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is appearing today (Picture: PA Wire)
The victim successfully sued Robinson in 2021 for libel and the former English Defence League leader was ordered to pay him £100,000 in damages plus costs.
But after screening the film again in July he challenged the authorities to ‘take him to court’, according to The Telegraph.
Posting on his X account, he wrote: ‘I’ll be jailed for two years for showing the inconceivable truth.’
The Solicitor General issued two contempt claims against Robinson earlier this year, claiming he ‘knowingly’ breached the order on multiple occasions.
The 41-year-old appeared in the dock after being remanded in custody on Friday, wearing a grey suit and waistcoat with no tie.
At the start of a hearing, Aidan Eardley KC, for the Solicitor General, said a ‘resolution’ had been reached over the allegations, and read them out to the court.
When asked by Mr Justice Johnson whether he accepted he had committed the breaches, Robinson nodded and then replied ‘yes’.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, handed himslf in at a police station on Friday
Robinson attended Folkestone police station on Friday where he was remanded into custody and separately charged with failing to provide his mobile phone access code to police under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
On Saturday, thousands of his supporters gathered in central London for a protest which the political activist missed after he was remanded.
Demonstrators carried placards reading ‘Two tier Keir fuelled the riots’ and chanted ‘We want Tommy out’ as they headed from Victoria station to Parliament Square.
Robinson was released on unconditional bail in July and subsequently left the country, with Adam Payter, representing the Solicitor General, telling the High Court there ‘was nothing to prevent him from doing so’.
Mr Justice Johnson issued a warrant for Robinson’s arrest but ordered that it not be carried out ‘until early October’ to allow Robinson time to indicate that he would attend the next hearing voluntarily or to apply to ‘set aside’ the warrant.
Robinson posted a video of himself arriving at Luton Airport on October 20 and said he was surprised he had not been arrested.
He applied to set aside the warrant but his application was dismissed by Mr Justice Johnson on Friday.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.