Tommy Robinson was today jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to contempt of court for repeating libellous allegations in his film Silenced. The Mail has the story.
The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, admitted 10 breaches of a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating libellous allegations against Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi, who had successfully sued him.
The claims were aired in Robinson’s film, Silenced, which was funded by Infowars – an American company founded by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Mr. Justice Johnson said he would not suspend the sentence due to the seriousness of the offending and because “the defendant has a history of poor compliance with court orders”.
As the sentence was handed down, Robinson – in a grey suit and white shirt – glanced and nodded at his supporters in the public gallery, and rocked slightly in the dock, with his hands clasped in front of him.
His supporters packed the public gallery and stood outside the court, with some in court waving and blowing kisses to Robinson as he led away from the dock.
In 2010 – when he was last jailed for contempt of course, Robinson cried on a Sky TV documentary as he spoke about spending 10 weeks in solitary confinement in HMP Belmarsh.
Mr. Justice Johnson told the court: “In a democratic society underpinned by rule of law, court injunctions must be obeyed. They (defendants) are entitled to disagree with the result, they are not entitled to disobey the court injunction.
“Nobody is above the law, nobody can pick and choose which laws they obey. They are not entitled to set themselves up as a judge in their own cause… Otherwise rule of law would break down.
“The defendant was well aware of the terms of the injunction and the consequences of breaching it. The breaches were not accidental or negligent or merely reckless. Each was a planned, direct and flagrant breach of the court order.”
The judge said Robinson would likely be released at the half-way stage of his prison term.
He described the breaches as “sophisticated” and designed to maximise coverage – with one video reportedly being seen 44 million times. …
He said the fact Robinson continued to host the offending video on his social media further signalled his determination to defy the injunction.
He said: “The defendant has not shown any remorse for breaches of the order, it would be surprising if he had done so.
“The defendant has not shown any inclination to comply with the injunction in the future. All of his actions so far suggest he regards himself as above the law.
“(He) continues to maintain material on his social media account in breach of the injunction, even as this hearing takes place.”
The judge said Robinson could receive a four-month reduction in his sentence if he showed contrition and removed the video from his social media, while making efforts to have it taken down elsewhere.
The activist’s contempt breaches include broadcasting a film titled Silenced, at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in July – one of six actions claimed to have breached the injunction between June and July this year.
The film is also pinned to the top of his X account.
Worth reading in full.
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