New contempt of courtroom utility lodged towards Tommy Robinson

A new contempt of court application has been lodged against Tommy Robinson over alleged breaches of a High Court order from 2021, the Attorney General’s Office has said.

Law officers allege that Robinson breached an injunction barring him from repeating libellous allegations through six actions between June and July this year.

The order came after he lost a 2021 legal battle against a Syrian refugee who had sued him for libel.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was sued by  Jamal Hijazi over a video which circulated online in 2018 showing the schoolboy being assaulted by another pupil in a playground. 

The AGO said Robinson was served with the latest contempt application, made on behalf of Solicitor General Sarah Sackman, on his X account on Wednesday after the application was lodged on August 19.

It follows an earlier contempt application concerning other alleged breaches of the order, with a court hearing in London last month told that Robinson had left the country.

A hearing for both applications will be held on October 28.

A new contempt of court application has been lodged against Tommy Robinson over alleged breaches of a High Court order from 2021, the Attorney General’s Office has said

The English Defence League founder fled the country last month after committing ‘flagrant’ contempt of court in relation to a film played at a protest in Trafalgar Square, the High Court previously heard.

Robinson was due to appear at the Royal Court of Justice on July 29 for a contempt of court hearing but was not in attendance.  

But Adam Payter, representing the Solicitor General, said it was believed Robinson left the jurisdiction hours after being released on unconditional bail following his arrest.

Mr Payter said last month that Robinson was arrested following a ‘large demonstration’ in central London, which featured the showing of a film that was ‘central to this application’ and showed a ‘flagrant’ and ‘admitted’ breach of the court order.

He added that, following the demonstration, Robinson was stopped in Folkestone, Kent, during a port stop and search and arrested by Kent Police under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The activist was detained by police at the Channel tunnel in Folkestone.

Robinson was previously jailed after being found in contempt of court after he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage on Facebook, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.

He was sentenced to 13 months in jail after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast, but served just two months before being freed after that finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.

The case was then referred back to the Attorney General and he was jailed again in July 2019.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.