Tommy Robinson will be released from prison after winning his High Court appeal to reduce a sentence for contempt of court.
The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months in October for breaching a court injunction. The order had barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel. Despite the ban, Robinson aired a video at a public rally in Trafalgar Square.
Court rules Robinson has ‘purged contempt’
The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Johnson, originally handed Robinson a coercive four-month term within the total sentence. He said this could be removed if Robinson took steps to comply with the order.
Today, Robinson’s lawyers told the High Court that he had shown a clear “commitment” to follow the injunction, including removing content from his social media accounts. The Solicitor General’s legal team agreed, and the judge ruled that the contempt had been purged.
Although Mr Justice Johnson noted Robinson had shown “no contrition or remorse”, he accepted that there had been a shift in behaviour since sentencing. Robinson is currently being held at HMP Woodhill and is expected to be released by the end of the week.
Rally breach led to jail sentence
The case centres on a July 2024 rally where Robinson broadcast a video called Silenced to a crowd in London’s Trafalgar Square. The video showed footage of a Syrian teenager being assaulted in a school playground — footage the court had already ruled should not be published.
By airing the video, Robinson breached the injunction and was later found in contempt of court. The judge said his actions undermined the legal process and were a deliberate attempt to defy the courts.
Past legal defeats and future warning
Since being jailed, Robinson has lost two further legal battles related to his imprisonment. Today’s ruling will see him released from prison early, but the judge warned that future breaches could result in new penalties.
Posting on social media shortly after the decision, Robinson said: “I’ll be jailed for two years for showing the inconceivable truth.”
Robinson was previously convicted of contempt of court in a separate case in 2018 after filming defendants outside a trial in Leeds.
