UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson convicted in contempt-of-court case

 

FILE PHOTO: Far right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, speaks outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Judges on Friday found British far-right activist Tommy Robinson to be in contempt of court after he filmed defendants during a trial last year and posted the footage on social media, breaching reporting restrictions on the case.

 

Robinson, 36, co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL) which has staged violent demonstrations against Islam, was earlier jailed for making the video recordings outside a courthouse in Leeds, northern England, which revealed the identities of defendants accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls while jurors were still considering their verdicts.

 

He successfully appealed against the jailing and was released. The Court of Appeal, however, ordered a rehearing and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, the government's chief legal adviser, decided to start contempt proceedings against him.

 

"Posting material online that breaches reporting restrictions or risks prejudicing legal proceedings is a very serious matter and this is reflected in the Court's decision today," Cox said in a statement.

 

"I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt of court."

 

Sentencing of Robinson, who was charged under his real name of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, will take place at a later date. The maximum penalty for criminal contempt is two years in jail.

 

(Reporting By Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-06

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1 minute ago, rooster59 said:

"I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt of court."

 

Sounds like something from a Thai newspaper.

 

Does this include ' likes ' your honour ?

People will certainly think twice before exposing any more industrial scale pedophile gangs. I'm not sure that was the intended outcome of this dog and pony show, but given the British establishment's record when it comes to such matters, it makes you wonder. A sincere thanks from myself to Mr Robinson for his tireless efforts against child rape and political correctness, an unfortunate combo for the nations young vulnerable white and sheik children.

4 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People will certainly think twice before exposing any more industrial scale pedophile gangs. I'm not sure that was the intended outcome of this dog and pony show, but given the British establishment's record when it comes to such matters, it makes you wonder. A sincere thanks from myself to Mr Robinson for his tireless efforts against child rape and political correctness, an unfortunate combo for the nations young vulnerable white and sheik children.

Yaxley Lennon never exposed anything other than exposing the trial to the risk of collapse.

 

His actions created the real risk of these vile criminals being freed without punishment.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-contempt-court-case-grooming-gang-trial-huddersfield-a8990436.html

 

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, Andrew McMaster, Paul Harris, Wayne King has a long criminal history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Robinson_(activist)#Criminal_convictions

That is probably at least one of the reasons why he changes his name all the time.

%##holes like him will always exist. Why does he get so much media coverage?

10 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yaxley Lennon never exposed anything other than exposing the trial to the risk of collapse.

Interesting. In these heady days where it is a criminal offense to even mistakenly misgender/misnaming somebody, surely it is a criminal offense to use a name that the person no longer identifies with. In this case an attempt to smear Robinson as being some posh git. IIRC Yaxely Lennon was the name of the parents that adopted him. Either way seems to be skirting very close to a hate crime. 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yaxley Lennon never exposed anything other than exposing the trial to the risk of collapse.

 

His actions created the real risk of these vile criminals being freed without punishment.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-contempt-court-case-grooming-gang-trial-huddersfield-a8990436.html

 

this guy endangered a case. It could have led to the defendants go free. That is what he risked. I think its good he get convicted for it. Just imagine the outcry if these rapist walked because that stupid idiot.  I am sure he then would have blamed the justice system. Idiots and extremist on both sides are making it hard for the moderates. 

1 minute ago, robblok said:

 

 

this guy endangered a case. It could have led to the defendants go free. That is what he risked. I think its good he get convicted for it. Just imagine the outcry if these rapist walked because that stupid idiot.  I am sure he then would have blamed the justice system. Idiots and extremist on both sides are making it hard for the moderates. 

Agree entirely, except there is only one extremist side to this. Yaxley Lennon and his supporters.

 

It is not extremist to recognize his grandstanding for what it is and tge real threat he posed to justice being served to these vile criminals.

The thing it comes down to is about justice. When a court orders reporting restrictions, they normally have a very good reason to do so. It is not up to an individual, regardless of his cause and morals to simply think that the law doesn't apply to him. Releasing information may lead to an erroneous verdict if peoples minds are swayed unfairly, and if defendants are found guilty, their details will be revealed in time anyway.

2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Interesting. In these heady days where it is a criminal offense to even mistakenly misgender/misnaming somebody, surely it is a criminal offense to use a name that the person no longer identifies with. In this case an attempt to smear Robinson as being some posh git. IIRC Yaxely Lennon was the name of the parents that adopted him. Either way seems to be skirting very close to a hate crime. 

That's a fairly ridiculous claim. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - it's the name he was charged under, and referred to in court.

 

How can it possibly be a criminal offence or a 'hate crime' to refer to someone by their actual name?

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Agree entirely, except there is only one extremist side to this. Yaxley Lennon and his supporters.

 

It is not extremist to recognize his grandstanding for what it is and tge real threat he posed to justice being served to these vile criminals.

I know there is only one extremist in this case I was talking in general. The extremist on both sides fanning the fires and the normal people are left to pick up the pieces. 

2 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

The thing it comes down to is about justice. When a court orders reporting restrictions, they normally have a very good reason to do so. It is not up to an individual, regardless of his cause and morals to simply think that the law doesn't apply to him. Releasing information may lead to an erroneous verdict if peoples minds are swayed unfairly, and if defendants are found guilty, their details will be revealed in time anyway.

It is not so black and white. The rape gangs activities had been covered up for years. 

 

"A report released in June 2019 indicated that 15 of the 22 females involved were known to children's services. Although there was "sufficient evidence" that two girls were being sexually exploited, one as early as 2007, no action were taken by the Kirklees Children's Services.[4]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddersfield_grooming_gang

 

Attempts to get authorities attention were repeatedly shot down. Even one MP went as far as promoting a meme saying the raped children should "shut their mouths for the good of diversity"(google Naz Shah if proof needed of the attempt to silence the raped kids). Had it not been for Nick Griffin and later Tommy Robinson these rape gangs would still be operating unimpeded. Thanks to their heroic efforts both Griffin and Robinson have been smeared and dubbed any number of offensive names. But, end of the day how many thousands of young white and sheik children have been saved from a life of sexual slavery and abuse.

 

 As a long term follower of this saga, I was watching his livestream from outside Leeds court and I remember him reading the names from a newspaper report. He said nothing not already in the public domain. It was shocking when he was arrested. Nothing to do with protecting the court verdicts on the rapists, and everything to do with downplaying the rapes and cover ups, in my opinion.

 

Thank goodness that convicted Muslim pedophile rape gangs will now be protected from a small amount of confrontation as they troop into court for sentencing. Some of those real criminals will probably be back out on the street before Tommy is! UK - a sharia compliant state.

7 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

It is not so black and white. The rape gangs activities had been covered up for years. <snip>

Yes, it is so black and white.

 

His 'reporting' made a mistrial a very real possibility. This conviction has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the child abuse case, only with him willfully ignoring a court order and risking the perpetrators getting released due to his actions.

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by stevenl

13 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

That's a fairly ridiculous claim. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - it's the name he was charged under, and referred to in court.

 

How can it possibly be a criminal offence or a 'hate crime' to refer to someone by their actual name?

OK thanks, good to know. So for example Bradley Manning, who was charged as Bradley Manning and referred to in court as Bradley Manning during his trial, but later prefers to be called Chelsea, can still be called Bradley by haters trying to insult him, and that is OK? After all, how can it possibly be a criminal offence or a 'hate crime' to refer to someone by their actual name?

47 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People will certainly think twice before exposing any more industrial scale pedophile gangs. I'm not sure that was the intended outcome of this dog and pony show, but given the British establishment's record when it comes to such matters, it makes you wonder. A sincere thanks from myself to Mr Robinson for his tireless efforts against child rape and political correctness, an unfortunate combo for the nations young vulnerable white and sheik children.

He didn't expose any paedophile gangs. He waited for others to expose them (police, press) and then used them to spout his race hate vitriol on his very profitable YouTube channel.

I have never been impressed with status, either of people or institutions. In the past I was proud of the British judiciary, the law courts and the police, now with a few individual exceptions I hold them all in contempt. They have clearly surrendered their integrity and become agents of the establishment. 

5 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Yes, it is so black and white.

 

His 'reporting' made a mistrial a very real possibility. This conviction has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the child abuse case, only with him willfully ignoring a court order and risking the perpetrators getting released due to his actions.

Rubbish that's just the excuse they want you to swallow, when was the last time names being read out in the street from the BBC lead to a mis trial? Also when was the last time they jailed a reporter for doing so. This was not about what he did, but who he is and the attention he was bringing to the tsunami of Muslim rape cases in the UK

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by Orton Rd

6 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Thank goodness that convicted Muslim pedophile rape gangs will now be protected from a small amount of confrontation as they troop into court for sentencing. Some of those real criminals will probably be back out on the street before Tommy is! UK - a sharia compliant state.

Unsubstantiated hogwash.

1 minute ago, Orton Rd said:

Rubbish that's just the excuse they want you to swallow, when was the last time names being read out in the street from the BBC lead to a mis trial? Also when was the last time they jailed a reporter for doing so. This was not about what he did, but whi he is and the attention he was bringing to the tsunami of Muslim rape cases in the UK

I guess you did not read the article the defense even tried to get a mistrial because of this. I guess ignorance is a bliss.

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Rubbish that's just the excuse they want you to swallow, when was the last time names being read out in the street from the BBC lead to a mis trial?

In your own words: rubbish.

7 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Thank goodness that convicted Muslim pedophile rape gangs will now be protected from a small amount of confrontation as they troop into court for sentencing. Some of those real criminals will probably be back out on the street before Tommy is! UK - a sharia compliant state.

You really don't read any articles do you.. in the article linked there is a link to the sentence of the "so called rape gang"  all got pretty long sentences. So how again are they walking free ? 

2 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Rubbish that's just the excuse they want you to swallow, when was the last time names being read out in the street from the BBC lead to a mis trial? Also when was the last time they jailed a reporter for doing so. This was not about what he did, but whi he is and the attention he was bringing to the tsunami of Muslim rape cases in the UK

Rubbish. That's BS that you want us to swallow.

 

A reporter hasn't been jaild because a reporter hasn't ignored a judge's instructions on reporting restrictions.

7 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

OK thanks, good to know. So for example Bradley Manning, who was charged as Bradley Manning and referred to in court as Bradley Manning during his trial, but later prefers to be called Chelsea, can still be called Bradley by haters trying to insult him, and that is OK? After all, how can it possibly be a criminal offence or a 'hate crime' to refer to someone by their actual name?

Yaxley Lennon, UK Court, UK jurisdiction. 

 

Bradley Manning, US Military Court, US Military Jurisdiction. 

 

Put simply - Apples and Oranges. 

13 minutes ago, anterian said:

I have never been impressed with status, either of people or institutions. In the past I was proud of the British judiciary, the law courts and the police, now with a few individual exceptions I hold them all in contempt. They have clearly surrendered their integrity and become agents of the establishment. 

For upholding the law and protecting the trial of very dangerous criminals from collapse due to the actions of a islamophobia bating racist thug. 

 

I wonder what would your respond been had Yaxley Lennon been permitted to continue his contempt of court and brought about a collapse of the trial and the freeing of these vile rapists. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by Chomper Higgot

Off topic troll post removed

Rock on Tommy

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

OK thanks, good to know. So for example Bradley Manning, who was charged as Bradley Manning and referred to in court as Bradley Manning during his trial, but later prefers to be called Chelsea, can still be called Bradley by haters trying to insult him, and that is OK? After all, how can it possibly be a criminal offence or a 'hate crime' to refer to someone by their actual name?

That's a good example of 'whataboutism.' Trying to deflect from the facts of one case by referring to a different case (and under a different legal jurisdiction).

 

Having said that, if you do want to compare them there is a basic, glaring difference - Manning was granted a legal name change by a judge in the US in 2014. In the UK the legal systems are different, but Yaxley-Lennon has not submitted a deed poll document to effect an official name change as far as I'm aware. Moreover, he still uses the name Yaxley-Lennon for all official purposes in his private life. Tommy Robinson is nothing more than a pseudonym he uses for his EDL persona.

“a loathsome, obnoxious, repellent individual.”

 

John Bercow.....wise man. 

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

........Wayne King 

 

Should of been Kerr.