The far-right activist Tommy Robinson has told his harassment trial that he used private investigators to track down journalists who had written about his alleged role in the ۲۰۲۴ riots, and had photographs taken of their homes “to put pressure” on them.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, denied in court that his actions, which included sharing photos of the wife and daughter of one of the journalists, were designed to intimidate and bully.
“I’m not coming to beat [them] up … they know that,” he said, referring to messages and telephone calls, including a voicemail message left for the editor of the Daily Mail after Robinson had paid to get his personal number.
Robinson is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence to two MailOnline journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, in ۲۰۲۴. He denies the charges.
Robinson, ۴۳, gave evidence and was cross-examined on Thursday, when he claimed he “felt it was totally reasonable” to publish a photo of Dirnhuber at his home because he was “in a race against time” to get the Mail to remove a photo of his ex-wife, which the Mail published in a story about him being in Cyprus, with the headline: “Stoking race riots from his sunbed”.
However, he conceded that when he sent messages to the journalists, spoke to one on the phone, and left a message on the voicemail of the Mail’s editor-in-chief, Ted Verity, he had not asked for the Mail to remove the image.
Robinson said he believed he was “restrained” in the voicemail he left for Verity, in which he said he would make him and his family famous, and went on to say he told the journalists involved that he would get their addresses because he was “using it as a play card”.
The prosecutor Ben Holt asked him about Dirnhuber and his partner having to leave their home as a result of threatening emails he allegedly received, and about Young’s family having also considered leaving their home.
“The entire situation, I wish didn’t happen, I wish that none of that had happened,” said Robinson. “I was unfortunately in a situation where I was panicked.”
Referring to the journalists and how they felt about messages he sent to them, he told Southwark crown court: “They know I’m not going to come and beat them up. They know that.”
Holt continued: “They are scared of you, Mr Lennon,” to which came the reply: “They are not scared of physical violence from me.”
Robinson was also asked about messages and online posts directed at the journalists by others after he had started using his own X account to tweet about them, including one post from an X user who told Dirnhuber they would beat the “fuck” out of him.
Asked by Holt if he appreciated that messages such as this had been “generated” by his own output, Robinson said: “I don’t agree with any of these messages … I don’t know who sent these messages. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Robinson had been in Cyprus in early August ۲۰۲۴. At the time, violence was breaking out across England in the wake of the murder of three girls in Southport. He told the jury he was with “my ex-wife, my three children and three other families and their children”.
In the witness stand, Robinson claimed he had not “stoked” the riots, but tried to calm things.
The first day of the trial was told on Monday that journalists and their family members had to flee their homes after Robinson deployed “bullyboy, intimidatory tactics”.
The trial continues.
