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The English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 13 months for contempt of court.

Robinson, 35, was sentenced on Friday after protesting outside Leeds Crown Court - but Robinson's case can only be reported today after a judge lifted restrictions.

The right wing activist was taken into custody for breach of the peace as he streamed an hour long Facebook Live outside the building, footage which was watched 250,000 times.

His comments on the film had the potential to cause the collapse of a long-running trial at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the taxpayer.

Details of the trial cannot be reported for legal reasons. Robinson's broadcast breached these strict rules and impacted on the defendants' right to a fair trial.

Jailing him for 13 months, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told Robinson: “No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial.

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: Getty/PA)

“I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done."

The judge said Robinson's actions could have meant a re-trial, "costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds", Leeds Live reported.

(Image: Facebook)

The judge added: “It is a serious feature that you were encouraging others to share what you were streaming live on social media.”

Jailing the married father-of-three, the judge said: “People have to understand that if they breach court orders there will be very real consequences.”

Details of Robinson's imprisonment were initially subject to a court order banning any press coverage, but this was lifted today after representations from the media.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was seen being led towards the back of a police van and searched in footage posted on his Facebook page.

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

(Image: Facebook)

His arrest sparked mass protests outside Downing Street over the weekend as supporters demanded his release.

Police officers were deployed to keep the crowd under control.

Many could be seen holding #FreeTommy placards, one reading "Free the truth teller. Free Tommy".

The protest eventually made its way down to Parliament Square. The Met Police said there were no arrests.

In the footage of Robinson's arrest, he asks one supporter as he is led away: "Can you get me a solicitor? I'm on a suspended sentence, you see."

One officer in the footage says before reading Robinson his rights: "You are being arrested on suspicion of causing a breach of the peace."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

The video footage was played to the judge as Robinson sat in the dock.

Robinson, whose criminal record dates back to 2005, has a previous conviction for contempt of court.

He was the subject of a suspended prison sentence, imposed at Canterbury Crown Court, after he filmed in court.

He also has convictions for disobeying a court order, possessing identity documents with intent, fraud, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing drugs and threatening behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and breach of a suspended sentence.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said his client felt "deep regret" after realising the potential consequences of his actions.

The barrister added: "He was mindful, having spoken to others and taken advice, not to say things that he thought would actually prejudice these proceedings.

"He did not try to cause difficulties for the court process."

Mr Harding said Robinson had been the victim of assaults while serving time in prison before and there had been "a price on his head" during his last prison term with inmates being offered the reward of drugs and mobile phones to kill him.

Robinson founded the English Defence League in Luton in 2009 before resigning in 2013.

The organisation was responsible for violent marches on the streets where members clashed with police and counter-demonstrators.</s>This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, has been jailed for 13 months for contempt of court.

The 35-year-old’s sentence can be revealed after a judge lifted reporting restrictions on the case on Tuesday. The case had been widely discussed on social media, where rightwing activists claimed that the restrictions amounted to state censorship.

Robinson was arrested on Friday after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. In the video he made comments that risked causing a trial to collapse.

Robinson pleaded guilty to contempt of court. He was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

A court order is in place to prevent any reporting of the details of the trial in question. Another court order preventing reporting of Robinson’s arrest and the subsequent court proceedings was lifted on Tuesday after a challenge by Leeds Live and the Independent.

The restriction was put in place temporarily to prevent reporting on the Robinson case prejudicing the outcome of the first trial. It was lifted after a judge heard submissions that the order was already being widely violated by members of the public online.

Robinson attempted to film defendants entering the court and spoke about the case. The video was viewed more than 250,000 times.

Robinson’s arrest provoked protests in Whitehall on Saturday. Supporters were seen carrying placards reading “#FreeTommy” and shouting “shame on you”. A change.org petition calling for his release had received nearly 500,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

Last year Robinson was given a suspended sentence for committing contempt during a rape trial in Canterbury, after he attempted to film the defendants. He had been told that he would go to prison if he broke the law again.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to 10 months for contempt of court and a further three months for breaching the terms of the previous suspended sentence.

Robinson’s supporters had posted online that his arrest was an infringement of his freedom of speech. On Sunday Donald Trump Jr, the US president’s son, retweeted one of Robinson’s supporters, adding: “Don’t let America follow in those footsteps.”

The Dutch far-right opposition leader Geert Wilders posted a video on Twitter, filmed from outside the British embassy in The Hague, describing Robinson’s prison sentence as “an absolute disgrace”.

He accused the judge of issuing a gagging order and said that freedom of speech was being violated all over Europe. “The lights of freedom are going out,” he said. “The authorities are trying to silence us.”</s>English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 13 months after being arrested outside Leeds Crown Court last week, court officials have confirmed.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to 10 months for contempt of court and a further three months for breaching the terms of a previous suspended sentence.

He was arrested on Friday for contempt of court after using social media to broadcast details of an ongoing trial which is subject to blanket reporting restrictions.

Reporting restrictions were also placed on details of Robinson’s sentence but were lifted following a legal challenge on Tuesday.

Following his arrest his supporters protested outside the gates of Downing Street, while others took to social media where they were supported by right wing sympathisers in the US.</s>Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt of court after Facebook live reporting outside criminal trial

Tommy Robinson, a prominent far-right activist in Britain, has been jailed for 13 months for contempt of court, after live-streaming outside a criminal trial in violation of reporting restrictions, a court said.

Robinson was arrested at Leeds Crown Court in northern England, where he was broadcasting details of an ongoing trial on Facebook.

The 35-year-old appeared in court under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

He pleaded guilty on Friday to contempt of court and breaching the terms of a suspended sentence.

The trial Robinson live-streamed was covered by restrictions on what could be reported while it was underway — a common practice in Britain, designed to protect the impartiality of the jury.

Judge Geoffrey Marson told Robinson that his actions could be "highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial".

He said Robinson had broadcast details of the defendants and the charges they faced, including some wrong information.

Robinson was earlier convicted of contempt of court in May 2017 for broadcasting at a rape trial and given a three-month suspended sentence.

The judge in that case told him that he would be imprisoned if he committed "a further contempt of court by similar actions".

Robinson also has previous convictions for assault, fraud and other offences.

The judge in Leeds imposed a reporting restriction on Robinson's latest conviction, but it was successfully challenged on Tuesday by media outlets.

Robinson, founder of the now-defunct English Defence League, is a self-styled journalist and commentator who issues a steady stream of anti-Muslim statements online.

News of his arrest had sparked calls on social media for his release, and a demonstration on Saturday outside the British prime minister's Downing Street office.

AP</s>Former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 13-months for potentially prejudicing a court case.

Robinson, who appeared in the dock under real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested in Leeds on Friday. A ban had prevented media from reporting on the sentencing at Leeds Crown Court.

The 35-year-old was broadcasting on social media outside the city's crown court when he was arrested.</s>The founder of the English Defence League has been jailed over comments which had the potential to cause a retrial at Leeds Crown Court, it can now be reported.

Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, streamed an hour-long Facebook Live outside the court last Friday and within hours it had been watched more than 250,000 times.

A judge who locked the far right activist up for 13 months for contempt of court told him his actions may cause a long-running trial to be retried, which would cost taxpayers 'hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds'.

A court order had been in place temporarily banning any reporting on Robinson's arrest and sentencing hearing, but the Examiner can now reveal the details.

The 35-year-old, of Oakley Rise, Wilstead, Bedford, was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was held in the court cells before being taken up to the courtroom to face the trial judge.

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

The video footage was played to Judge Geoffrey Marson QC as Robinson sat in the dock.

Robinson, whose criminal record dates back to 2005, has a previous conviction for contempt of court.

He was the subject of a suspended prison sentence, imposed at Canterbury Crown Court, after he filmed in court.

He also has convictions for disobeying a court order, possessing identity documents with intent, fraud, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing drugs and threatening behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and breach of a suspended sentence.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said his client felt "deep regret" after realising the potential consequences of his actions.

He said Robinson was aware of the reporting restriction in place in the case but thought what he was saying on camera was already in the public domain.

The barrister added: "He was mindful, having spoken to others and taken advice, not to say things that he thought would actually prejudice these proceedings.

"He did not try to cause difficulties for the court process."

Mr Harding said Robinson had been the victim of assaults while serving time in prison before and there had been "a price on his head" during his last prison term with inmates being offered the reward of drugs and mobile phones to kill him.

But the judge said: “No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial.

“I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done."</s>The founder of the English Defence League has been jailed over comments made on camera outside Leeds Crown Court which had the potential to de-rail a long running trial.

Tommy Robinson filmed himself during an hour-long rant outside the court building which he streamed on Facebook Live and was viewed a quarter of a million times.

A judge who locked the right wing activist up for 13 months for contempt of court told him his actions may cause the sensitive case to be abandoned.

Read more: Tommy Robinson has 'a price on his head' in jail with people offered drugs and mobile phones to kill him





The court heard it could cost taxpayers “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds” if a re-trial has to be held.

A strict order is currently in place temporarily banning publication or broadcasting details of the long-running case or anyone involved.

Media will be able to reveal details of the case later this year.

Click here for a short guide on contempt of court 





The Yorkshire Evening Post can now reveal details of Robinson's sentencing hearing which took place last Friday.

Robinson, of Oakley Rise, Wilstead, Bedford, was arrested after naming defendants in the case, the charges they face and details of the allegations.

He also filmed defendants and confronted them as they were entering the building on Oxford Row.

The 35-year-old was held in the court cells before being taken into the court to face trial judge Geroffrey Marson, QC.

The judge explained why Robinson’s actions had been in contempt of court.

Read more: Leeds judge to Tommy Robinson: 'Freedom of speech comes with responsibility'



 He said the order had been made to ensure the “integrity” of the case.

The judge said: “Nothing may occur which will prejudice the trial."

He added: “He was expressing his views. Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech but there are responsibilities and obligations.”

The video footage was played to the judge in court before he dealt with Robinson.

He said: “He was approximate to where defendants go in and approximate to where jurors go in.

“He was making a video. He was referring to this case.

“He referred to the charges that the defendants faced and some charges which are not proceeded against in relation to some defendants.”

The court heard the footage had received 250,000 views and a story about Robinson’s arrest was the lead article on a national newspaper website.

Judge Marson said: “Not only was it a very long video but I regard it as a serious aggravating feature that he was encouraging others to share it and it had been shared widely.

“That is the nature of the contempt.”</s>Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson is in Hull Prison after being jailed for contempt of court.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to 13 months in prison on Friday at Leeds Crown Court.

He was then sent to Hull Prison, where he remains while he serves his sentence.

However, reporting restrictions were imposed by a judge which meant the full details of the case could not be revealed.

Those restrictions were lifted on Tuesday after an application by our colleagues at Leeds Live.

Here are the details of exactly what happened.

Tommy Robinson was broadcasting on Facebook Live outside Leeds Crown Court on Friday when he was stopped by police.

He was filming people entering the court in relation to an ongoing trial.

The broadcast lasted an hour and was watched more than 250,000 times.

At the time of the incident, a jury was considering its verdicts after hearing six weeks of evidence.

Reporting restrictions are in place on that case, so details cannot be revealed.

Robinson, of Oakley Rise, Wilstead, Bedford, filmed himself as he read out the defendants' names and the charges they face - some of which were wrong - and confronted them as they arrived at court.

Eventually, the 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was held in the court cells before being taken up to the courtroom to face the trial judge.

What happened to Tommy Robinson in court?

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

The video footage was played to Judge Geoffrey Marson QC as Robinson sat in the dock.

The judge said: “He referred to the charges that the defendants faced and some charges which are not proceeded against in relation to some defendants.”

Robinson, whose criminal record dates back to 2005, has a previous conviction for contempt of court.

He was the subject of a suspended prison sentence, imposed at Canterbury Crown Court, after he filmed in court.

He also has convictions for disobeying a court order, possessing identity documents with intent, fraud, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing drugs and threatening behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and breach of a suspended sentence.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said his client felt "deep regret" after realising the potential consequences of his actions.

He said Robinson was aware of the reporting restriction in place in the case but thought what he was saying on camera was already in the public domain.

But the judge said: “No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial.

“I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done."

He said it could mean a re-trial, 'costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds'.

Jailing the married father-of-three, the judge said: “People have to understand that if they breach court orders there will be very real consequences.”

He was then sent to Hull Prison to serve his sentence.

Why couldn't the case be reported?

Judge Marson imposed reporting restrictions under Section 4 of the Contempt of Court Act, which postponed reporting on the case.

This meant that media outlets could not report on the full details of the hearing.

However, those restrictions were lifted on Tuesday following an application by reporters from Leeds Live.

It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .</s>Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League (EDL), has been jailed for 13 months for contempt of court.

The 35-year-old’s sentence can be revealed after a judge lifted reporting restrictions on the case on Tuesday.

Robinson was arrested on Friday after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds Crown Court. In the video, he made comments that risked causing a trial to collapse.

Robinson pleaded guilty to contempt of court. He was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

A court order is in place to prevent any reporting of the details of the trial in question. Another court order preventing reporting of Robinson’s arrest and the subsequent court proceedings was lifted on Tuesday after a challenge by Leeds Live and the London Independent.

The restriction was put in place temporarily to prevent reporting on the Robinson case from prejudicing the outcome of the first trial. It was lifted after a judge heard submissions that Robinson’s case was being widely discussed on social media. Right-wing activists claimed that the restriction amounted to state censorship.

In the video, Robinson attempted to film defendants entering the court and spoke about the case. The video was viewed more than 250,000 times.

Robinson’s arrest provoked protests in Whitehall on Saturday, which could not be reported by the media until now.

Supporters were seen carrying placards reading “#FreeTommy” and shouting “Shame on you”. – Guardian</s>English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 13 months for breaking contempt of court laws, it can now be reported.

It comes after the right-wing activist was arrested on Friday outside Leeds Crown Court.

BirminghamLive has recently reported how Robinson, 35, has been suspended from Twitter.

It is understood that Mr Robinson's account was taken down for violating the platform's policies on "hateful conduct", though it is not clear what triggered the suspension.

In the latest incident, Mr Robinson was seen in footage being led towards the back of a police van and searched in footage posted on his Facebook page, reports The Mirror .

His arrest sparked mass protest outside Downing Street as supporters demanded his release.

Police officers were deployed to keep the crowd under control. Many could be seen holding #FreeTommy placards, one reading "Free the truth teller. Free Tommy".

The protest eventually made its way down to Parliament Square. The Met Police said there were no arrests.

Robinson founded the English Defence League in Luton in 2009 before resigning in 2013.

The organisation was responsible for violent marches on the streets where members clashed with police and counter-demonstrators.

Reporting restrictions were imposed by a judge which meant the full details of the case could not be revealed.

Those restrictions were lifted on Tuesday after an application by our colleagues at Leeds Live.

Here are the details of exactly what happened.

Tommy Robinson was broadcasting on Facebook Live outside Leeds Crown Court on Friday when he was stopped by police.

He was filming people entering the court in relation to an ongoing trial.

The broadcast lasted an hour and was watched more than 250,000 times.

t the time of the incident, a jury was considering its verdicts after hearing six weeks of evidence.

Reporting restrictions are in place on that case, so details cannot be revealed.

Robinson, of Oakley Rise, Wilstead, Bedford, filmed himself as he read out the defendants' names and the charges they face - some of which were wrong - and confronted them as they arrived at court.

Eventually, the 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was held in the court cells before being taken up to the courtroom to face the trial judge.

What happened to Tommy Robinson in court?

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

The video footage was played to Judge Geoffrey Marson QC as Robinson sat in the dock.

The judge said: “He referred to the charges that the defendants faced and some charges which are not proceeded against in relation to some defendants.”

Robinson, whose criminal record dates back to 2005, has a previous conviction for contempt of court.

He was the subject of a suspended prison sentence, imposed at Canterbury Crown Court, after he filmed in court.

He also has convictions for disobeying a court order, possessing identity documents with intent, fraud, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing drugs and threatening behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and breach of a suspended sentence.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said his client felt "deep regret" after realising the potential consequences of his actions.

He said Robinson was aware of the reporting restriction in place in the case but thought what he was saying on camera was already in the public domain.

But the judge said: “No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial.

“I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done."

He said it could mean a re-trial, 'costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds'.

Jailing the married father-of-three, the judge said: “People have to understand that if they breach court orders there will be very real consequences.”

He was then sent to Hull Prison to serve his sentence.

Why couldn't the case be reported?

Judge Marson imposed reporting restrictions under Section 4 of the Contempt of Court Act, which postponed reporting on the case.

This meant that media outlets could not report on the full details of the hearing.

However, those restrictions were lifted on Tuesday following an application by reporters from Leeds Live.
It is reported today that right-wing British activist Tommy Robinson was sentenced to 13 months in prison for contempt of court within five hours after being arrested outside Leeds Crown Court on 25 May. A ban on reporting his sentence is lifted today following a legal challenge by journalists.