Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has testified in his harassment trial that he employed private investigators to locate journalists who reported on his alleged involvement in the 2024 riots. He admitted to having photographs taken of their homes "to put pressure" on them but denied any intent to intimidate.
Background
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is facing charges of harassment causing fear of violence against two MailOnline journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, in 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Key Testimony
During his testimony on Thursday, Robinson claimed he felt it was "totally reasonable" to publish a photo of Dirnhuber at his home. He stated he was "in a race against time" to compel the Mail to remove a photo of his ex-wife that was published alongside a story about him vacationing in Cyprus, which was headlined: "Stoking race riots from his sunbed."
However, he acknowledged that he did not specifically request the removal of the image in his communications with the journalists or in a voicemail left for the Mail’s editor-in-chief, Ted Verity. Robinson described his voicemail as "restrained," despite stating he would make Verity and his family famous and mentioning that he would obtain the journalists' addresses as a "play card."
