Tommy Robinson leaves UK on eve of court case
ReutersA senior judge has issued an arrest warrant for far-right campaigner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - better known by his alias Tommy Robinson - after learning he has left the country on the eve of a major legal case against him.
Yaxley-Lennon left the UK by a Eurotunnel train on Sunday night, despite having been arrested by Kent Police under counter-terrorism powers.
The 41-year-old had been due in court on Monday for allegedly breaching an order not to repeat lies about a Syrian refugee.
Mr Justice Johnson has ordered the warrant not to be carried out "until early October" to give Yaxley-Lennon time to confirm he would attend the next hearing voluntarily.
His departure from the UK comes after thousands of his followers gathered in central London on Saturday in his support.
In July 2021, Syrian teenager Jamal Hijazi won £100,000 in damages in a major defamation battle against Yaxley-Lennon, who had falsely accused him of being a violent thug, claims that spread across social media.
A judge ordered him never to repeat the lies, but last year he began repeating his claims, including in a film distributed online.
Yaxley-Lennon was ordered six weeks ago to come to the High Court on Monday to answer the allegation that he had ignored the judge’s order - a serious offence known as contempt of court.
Adam Payter, representing the Solicitor General, the government minister who oversees contempt of court allegations, today told Mr Justice Johnson that despite Yaxley-Lennon knowing of this morning’s case, he played the film again to his supporters on Saturday.
The barrister said this public showing had been a “flagrant” and “admitted” breach of the court order not to repeat the false claims.
On Sunday, the founder of the English Defence League went to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone, where police officers stopped him under counter-terrorism powers.
When he allegedly refused to co-operate, he was arrested and held until 10pm before being released on unconditional bail and leaving the country.
Mr Payter said: “We understand he failed to cooperate with a port stop and search.
“The implication is he was attempting to leave the country and therefore was not intending to attend this hearing this morning
“The information that we have is that he is not within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. He has been spending significant time outside the UK since being served with the contempt application on 13 June.
“He returned for the purpose of publishing the film and sought to immediately leave the jurisdiction.”
PA MediaThe court heard the police officers who had held Yaxley-Lennon had no power to stop him leaving the UK.
Mr Justice Johnson said he was “entirely satisfied” that the contempt of court application should proceed in Yaxley-Lennon’s absence.
The judge issued an arrest warrant to detain the activist if, by October, he has returned to the UK but continues to refuse to cooperate.
That decision to delay executing the warrant was to give him an opportunity to return and explain why he had failed to attend this morning’s hearing or to apply to have it set aside.
If Yaxley-Lennon does not return, the case will be heard in his absence after 28 October - and could lead to a jail sentence.
Tommy Robinson's key convictions and other findings
2005: Jailed for assault occasioning actual bodily harm (12 months)
2011: Community order for football brawl (12 months)
2013: Travelling on another man's passport to the USA (jailed for 10 months)
2014: Mortgage fraud (jailed for 18 months)
May 2017: Contempt of Court finding, three months jail suspended for 18 months
July 2019: Jailed for nine months for interfering with a grooming gang trial in Leeds.
July 2021: Loses defamation case and ordered to pay Syrian refugee £100,000
July 2024: Fails to attend Contempt of Court hearing for allegedly repeating false claims about the refugee
Other offences: Possession of drugs, threatening behaviour and breach of court order