Anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson to be released early after sentence reduction
Tommy Robinson, the British anti-Islam activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is set to be released from prison within a week after a court on Tuesday agreed to reduce his 18-month sentence for contempt of court, Reuters reported.
Far-right and anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, gestures before arriving at Folkestone Police Station in Folkestone, Britain, October 25, 2024.(REUTERS File)
In October, Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed after admitting to violating an injunction that prohibited him from repeating false allegations about a Syrian refugee who had won a libel case against him.
Britain’s solicitor general initiated legal action against Yaxley-Lennon over remarks made in online interviews and a documentary called ‘Silenced,’ which was viewed millions of times and screened in London’s Trafalgar Square in July.
The judge who sentenced Yaxley-Lennon said that four months of his 18-month sentence, half of which was to be served in jail, could be reduced if he took steps to remove ‘Silenced’ from his social media and other online platforms.
Judge observes “absence of contrition or remorse” from Yaxley-Lennon
The judge also observed that there was an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Yaxley-Lennon, but also added, “He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”
Yaxley-Lennon’s lawyer, Alex Di Francesco, informed London’s High Court that the documentary ‘Silenced’ had been removed from all accounts under Yaxley-Lennon’s control. Additionally, requests had been made to take down interviews in which Yaxley-Lennon repeated the libelous claims.
Judge Jeremy Johnson ruled that Yaxley-Lennon had effectively “purged” his contempt, resulting in his release date being moved up from July 26 to May 26.
Yaxley-Lennon, who counts US billionaire Elon Musk among his supporters, has been accused by some media outlets and politicians of stoking tensions that led to several days of rioting across Britain in late July and August of last year, following the murder of three young girls at a dance workshop in Southport.
In January, Yaxley-Lennon’s social media account stated that Musk was covering part of his legal expenses, although Musk has not publicly confirmed this claim.
