Prosecutor Tells Jury Tommy Robinson Is Guilty of Harassing Journalists
A prosecutor told jurors on 23 October that Tommy Robinson is guilty of harassing two journalists. Ben Holt said people do not live in a "vigilante world" where "men's rules" apply, and he urged the jury to reject the idea that they do.
Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence. The charges relate to conduct in 2024 against the journalists Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber. Robinson denies both charges.
The case grows out of reporting by the Daily Mail, which wrote about what it described as Robinson's alleged role in influencing England's 2024 riots. Robinson then posted a video telling the paper's journalists he would find them, according to The Guardian. He said he had obtained details of where the journalists and their families lived and warned them to abide by "men's rules".
Holt said Robinson accepted that sharing images of the journalists' homes and partial photos of their loved ones was intended to exert pressure. He described Robinson's conduct as "bullyboy and intimidatory". The prosecutor also quoted Robinson telling the journalists, "Good for the goose, good for the gander. You are coming for me, I am coming for you," and called this "straightforward retaliation".
The court heard that Robinson used private investigators to track the two journalists down, according to the Daily Mail. In evidence, Robinson said he was "in a panic" after the paper identified a hotel in Cyprus where he was staying with family and friends, and published a photo of his ex-wife. Holt said Robinson never asked for the image to be taken down, either in calls and messages to the journalists or in contact with the Daily Mail's editor.
Agreed facts read to the court included four threat-to-life warning notices that police gave Robinson in 2018, 2019 and 2024. The most recent of these followed shortly after the Daily Mail article. The jury also heard of a video posted online in August 2024 by Omar Abdirizak, who said, "Tommy Robinson I got a message for you," and made a rifle gesture.
Alisdair Williamson KC, the defence counsel, told the jury that Robinson's actions were justified because "the fear for him is real". Holt gave his own assessment of Robinson's conduct in closing, saying of Robinson: "The answer from his own mouth is, he didn't care."
