Tommy Robinson to discover why High Court judges found him guilty of contempt for live streaming trial
TOMMY Robinson will today discover why High Court judges found him guilty of contempt for live streaming a trial.
The former EDL leader could face two years in jail after it he breached a reporting ban put in place on a criminal trial at Leeds Crown Court in May last year.
And today, High Court judges will reveal their reasons for finding the 36-year-old committed contempt of court by filming defendants in the criminal trial and broadcasting the footage on social media.
Two senior judges found on Friday that Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, breached a ban by live-streaming footage of the men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.
Throughout the hearing, Robinson denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not believe he was breaching reporting restrictions and only referred to information that was already in the public domain.
But Dame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby found him in contempt in three respects.
It comes after Robinson begged US President Donald Trump to grant him asylum in America last night.
Publishing a video of himself on crackpot conspiracy site InfoWars, he pleaded: “I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my case.
“I need evacuation from this country because dark forces are at work.”
CONTEMPT DEFINED: What is contempt of court and why can you be jailed for it?
Tommy Robinson was today jailed for contempt of court after publishing material that could prejudice an ongoing trial.
In the UK, a person can be found in contempt of court if they wilfully defy a court order.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the main types of the offence can be physically interfering in a trial, threatening witnesses or obstructing justice.
Showing disrespect to a judge can also be contempt of the court.
If someone is in contempt of the Magistrates’ Court, a person can be imprisoned for one month or face a fine of up to £2,500.
But for those in contempt of a crown court, they can be jailed for up to two years or face a fine.
In the UK, media can only report the facts of a case.
In the US, contempt of court is generally not considered to be a criminal offence.
Due to the First Amendment, the media outlet cannot be found in contempt of court.
Angry Robinson fans had last week faced off with cops when the far-right figure was found in contempt of court at the Old Bailey.
Officers armed with batons went up against crowds of fuming supporters who lobbed beer cans, street signs and traffic cones outside court.
Announcing their decision on Friday, Dame Victoria said Robinson was in contempt by breaching the reporting restriction imposed on the trial, by live-streaming the video from outside the public entrance to the court and by “aggressively confronting and filming” some of the defendants.
She said the content of the video “gave rise to a substantial risk that the course of justice in that case would be seriously impeded” and the confrontation of the defendants was a direct interference with the course of justice.
Robinson broadcast the footage on May 25, 2018 while the jury in the second of a series of linked grooming trials was considering its verdict.
A reporting restriction was in place which postponed the publication of any details of the case until the end of all the trials involving 29 people, in a bid to ensure all defendants received a fair trial.
The 36-year-old, from Luton, Bedfordshire, was jailed for 13 months after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast.
The video lasted an hour-and-a-half and was viewed online 250,000 times after being live-streamed on Facebook.
He served two months in jail before being freed after that finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.
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But the case was then referred back to the Attorney General, who announced in March that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings against Robinson.
Dame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby gave permission for the Attorney General to bring a new case against Robinson at a hearing in May.
Robinson is expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
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