lawyer explains how judge sentenced tommy robinson

Later that day, Judge Geoffrey Marson of Leeds Crown Court gave Robinson a 13-month prison sentence for contempt of court and violating his existing suspended sentence, ruling that the content of his Facebook Live video had the potential to prejudice and collapse the ongoing trial. Robinson had pleaded guilty.

Full Answer

Who is Tommy Robinson and what was his sentence?

Tommy Robinson has been given a nine-month prison sentence – of which he will serve about 10 weeks – after he was found guilty of contempt of court at an earlier hearing.

What does the Tommy Robinson judgment mean?

The Tommy Robinson judgment – what does it all mean? Today the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) handed down judgment in the appeal of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson), partially allowing the appeal and directing a rehearing at the Crown Court. What does this mean? Has Tommy been proven innocent?

Who was Tommy Robinson and what did he do?

Born Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon in 1982, Luton-based Tommy Robinson was co-founder and leader of the English Defence League between 2009 and 2013.

Who is Tom Robinson and why was he arrested?

Robinson was convicted of contempt of court in May 2017 for filming inside Canterbury Crown Court and given a suspended sentence. The sentence was put into effect after Robinson was arrested for live streaming outside Leeds Crown Court during the course of another trial.

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Today the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) handed down judgment in the appeal of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson), partially allowing the appeal and directing a rehearing at the Crown Court.

How long was Yaxley Lennon in jail?

Yaxley-Lennon was committed to prison for 13 months on 25 May 2018, after attending a trial at Leeds Crown Court and streaming a live-feed on Facebook in which he broadcasted details of the trial and of the defendants.

What was Yaxley-Lennon breaching?

By broadcasting in the way that he did, Yaxley-Lennon was in breach of the reporting restriction, an act which amounts to contempt of court.

What was the argument against the findings of contempt?

Secondly, the arguments against the findings of contempt was entirely procedural. In other words, his barrister explicitly accepted that what Robinson had done amounted to contempt of court. The argument was simply that the court hadn’t dealt with it as the law requires. Let’s take each part of the appeal in turn.

Why are strict rules of evidence important in criminal trials?

Thirdly, strict rules of evidence operate in criminal trials to filter the evidence that juries hear in a case, to ensure it is (a) relevant, (b) reliable and (c) not overly prejudicial to the defendant. It rather defeats the point if as soon as a juror turns on the TV they are confronted by a perma-tanned bozo offering half-baked opinions on the very matters that a judge has ruled a jury shouldn’t be told about.

Why do juries have to be independent?

The reason, juries are told, is twofold. Firstly, a jury’s own independent research runs the risk of being unreliable, even more so in the era of fake news. Deciding the case on flawed information risks catastrophic miscarriages of justice. Secondly, it is not fair to the parties. The advocates in court address the jury and make arguments on the evidence. If juries have taken into account their own private research about which the advocates are unaware, the parties are unable to assess or test its reliability, or to address the jury on what their client (either defendant or prosecution) says about it.

When did Yaxley-Lennon attend the trial?

It helps to take them in turn. Canterbury. On 8 May 2017 , during the course of a rape trial at Canterbury Crown Court involving four (Asian) defendants, Yaxley-Lennon attended court and attempted to film the defendants for an online broadcast entitled “Tommy Robinson in Canterbury exposing Muslim child rapists”.

Who is Tommy Robinson's legal name?

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon of course is Tommy Robinson's legal name... so citing that case to "refute" the charge that this man is victim of unique discriminatory treatment is the height of irony.

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Now, at least one prominent native critic of Islam, Tommy Robinson, has been repeatedly harassed by the police, railroaded by the courts, and left unprotected by prison officials who have allowed Muslim inmates to beat him senseless.

Why was Tommy able to stand before a judge?

The reason he was able to stand before a judge and to be quickly sentenced is because of a little known fact. Some time back, when Tommy covered a court case like this he was arrested charged and sentenced to goal. The judge suspended the goal time on the provisor that Tommy does not reoffend.

What did Solzhenitsyn talk about?

Solzhenitsyn talked about how Soviet police focused so much on ideological foes of the regime that they eventually became virtually incapable of solving the simplest of ordinary crimes.

How long was Robinson in jail?

Without having access to his own lawyer, Robinson was summarily tried and sentenced to 13 months behind bars. He was then transported to Hull Prison.

Where was Tommy Robinson pulled from?

On Friday, as reported here yesterday, the saga of Tommy Robinson entered a new chapter. British police officers pulled him off a street in Leeds, where, in his role as a citizen journalist, he was livestreaming a Facebook video from outside a courthouse.

Did the British media report on the Robinson case?

Meanwhile, the judge who sentenced him also ordered the British media not to report on his case. Newspapers that had already posted reports of his arrest quickly took them down. Even ordinary citizens who had written about the arrest on social media removed their posts, for fear of sharing Robinson's fate.

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Born Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon in 1982, Luton-based Tommy Robinson was co-founder and leader of the English Defence League between 2009 and 2013.

How long is the sentence for Robinson?

After deduction for time served, the sentence will amount to 19 weeks, of which he will serve half before being released. Robinson flashed a V for victory sign to the public gallery upon hearing the sentence, and later winked as he slung a bag over his shoulder and was led away by prison officers. Profile.

How long is the sentence for the Leeds contempt case?

His sentence at the Old Bailey was made up of six months for the Leeds contempt plus three months for an earlier contempt committed at Canterbury crown court in 2017. He was told that the time he previously spent behind bars would be taken into account, reducing his sentence to 19 weeks, of which he will serve half. He has 28 days to appeal.

How long was Tommy in jail?

His supporters have also staged "Free Tommy" rallies, where there have been clashes with the police. In July 2019 he was given a nine-month jail sentence after he was found guilty of contempt of court for live streaming a video that according to the judge encouraged 'vigilante action' and 'unlawful physical' aggression against defendants in ...

What is the real name of the man who was found guilty of sexual exploitation?

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, broadcast reports that encouraged “vigilante action” and “unlawful physical” aggression against defendants in a sexual exploitation trial, according to the judges who found him guilty last week.

When did Tommy Robinson leave the EDL?

In 2013 Robinson left the EDL after a high profile BBC documentary "When Tommy Met Mo", which followed Robinson's relationship with Mo Ansar after the pair met while filming a debate about Islam on BBC One's The Big Questions. However, by October 2015 Robinson was once again campaigning against Islam, addressing a Pegida rally.

What did the Society of Editors respond to Robinson’s claim that he was “convicted of journalism”, describing?

The Society of Editors responded to Robinson‘s claim that he was “convicted of journalism”, describing it as a dangerous distortion of the truth.