Danny Tommo Denies Criminal Damage Over Channel Boat Slashing
Daniel Thomas, 37, also known as Danny Tommo, denied causing criminal damage at Basingstoke magistrates' court on the morning of 25 September after being filmed appearing to slash a boat in the Channel with a blade. The Guardian
The charge follows video circulating that appears to show Thomas slashing at an inflatable boat with a knife in the English Channel. Police are examining that video. BBC Prosecutor Kevin Lucie alleged Thomas slashed an adrift boat with a knife. An emergency responder was on board at the time of the alleged slashing.
Thomas appeared for the hearing via video link. He also pleaded not guilty to a second count of failing to disclose his phone PIN to police under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, a law that can require suspects to unlock phones for investigators. Bail was refused.
He told the court he would like a crown court trial, meaning trial in the higher court that deals with more serious cases. The case will next be heard at Portsmouth crown court on Tuesday 29 September. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, supported Thomas in court.
The Crown Prosecution Service, the body that brings criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, had announced that Thomas, 37, was charged with criminal damage after a dinghy was slashed in the sea. Thomas was arrested for allegedly using a knife to slash an inflatable dinghy being used by migrants. ABC
Thomas is described as an anti-migrant activist and as the founder of a UK anti-migrant group. Sky News He was listed as of no fixed abode. The court heard he is a father of four and a professional roofer.
On Thursday evening, several hundred people gathered outside a police investigation centre in Basingstoke in the apparent belief Thomas was inside. The gathering did not alter the venue or procedure. The magistrates dealt with plea and remand only, meaning his denials and whether he stays in custody.
The broader context here is procedural and jurisdictional. Criminal damage where life is alleged to have been endangered, combined with a contested disclosure charge over the phone, moves quickly toward the crown court once a defendant elects trial there. Remand in custody preserves the court's control over attendance and further investigation, including forensic examination of the boat, the alleged blade and the phone at issue. Points to watch are how the prosecution frames the risk to the emergency responder on board, whether the Channel footage is admitted and verified as evidence, and how the disclosure charge interacts with the main allegation at the plea and trial preparation hearing.
