Editor
The far-right activist Tommy Robinson is dealing with a second severe authorized motion for contempt of courtroom, weeks after leaving the nation on the eve of one other case.
The Attorney General’s Office launched the brand new motion towards Robinson, whose actual title is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, over alleged breaches of a courtroom order to not repeat defamatory lies a couple of Syrian refugee.
Yaxley-Lennon has not been seen within the UK since he left the nation hours earlier than a courtroom case regarding associated allegations.
The High Court has mentioned it is going to order the 41-year-old’s arrest if he ignores the case.
Contempt of courtroom is a severe offence towards the workings of the justice system. The authorities definition of the offence contains “disobeying or ignoring a courtroom order” – and people discovered responsible can go to jail for as much as two years, get a effective, or each.
In July 2021, Syrian teenager Jamal Hijazi received £100,000 in damages following a serious defamation battle after Yaxley-Lennon unfold false allegations accusing him of being a violent thug.
A decide ordered him to not repeat the claims, however final 12 months the founding father of the English Defence League returned to them and included them in a movie distributed on-line to his followers.
In June, Yaxley-Lennon was ordered to the High Court to reply the allegation that he had ignored the decide’s order.
Two days earlier than that scheduled listening to in July, Yaxley-Lennon repeated the claims to 1000’s of his supporters in London’s Trafalgar Square – and the next day took a Channel Tunnel practice to France.
The Attorney General’s Office mentioned that the most recent contempt allegations included the exhibiting of the movie on the rally, its publication on the X platform and associated situations of alleged breach of the courtroom order in three on-line interviews.
A listening to over the unique and new allegations might be held on October 28.
The movie stays pinned on the prime of the Tommy Robinson X account – and within the introduction he stands exterior the High Court and accuses judges of gagging him.
This afternoon, the account was up to date with a message launching a petition and accusing the judiciary of “continued persecution”.
Hours after the London rally on 28 July, Yaxley-Lennon went to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone, the place law enforcement officials stopped him beneath counter-terrorism stop-and-search powers.
When he allegedly refused to co-operate, he was arrested and held till 22:00 BST. He then left the nation.
During the next riots, which developed out of conspiracy theories typically promoted on the Tommy Robinson social media channels, critics say he infected tensions.
One put up on his X account declared “Now is the time”. It is just not clear whether or not Yaxley Lennon personally revealed the put up and it was later deleted.
When BBC News requested him to make clear why it had been posted, he publicly replied with an F-word response.
The High Court has issued an arrest warrant for Yaxley Lennon’s arrest – however it is going to solely be triggered if he doesn’t contact the courtroom by 2 October, to permit him the chance to agree to show up voluntarily on 28 October. So far he has not contacted the courtroom.
