Tommy Robinson Faces up to 10 Years in Jail After Being Found Guilty of Harassing Journalists

Tommy Robinson faces up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of harassing two journalists to the point it caused them fear of violence.

Journalists from the Daily Mail and their family members fled their homes after “bullyboy, intimidatory tactics” were deployed by the far-right activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, his trial was told.

Robinson had shared pictures of the family of one of the journalists online and said he had “tagged and bagged” all three reporters who worked on an article about his alleged role influencing unrest that broke out after the 2024 Southport murders. The charges related to two of the journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber.

Dirnhuber and his partner had to leave their home, while Young and his family were provided with a close protection officer after an alleged campaign of intimidation that also included a call to the editor of the Daily Mail in which Robinson said he would make the journalists and their families “famous”.

Robinson was found guilty on both counts against him on Wednesday at Southwark crown court. The jury had deliberated for two days and had to be directed by the judge that they could return a majority verdict rather than a unanimous one.

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He was accused of harassment causing fear of violence through posts shared with his hundreds of thousands of followers on X and by direct messages. He called Young on 5 August 2024 and told him that he would visit his house, saying: “I’m coming to get you.”

Robinson, who attended court each day with a large number of supporters, was said to have become enraged after the Mail tracked him down to a hotel in Cyprus, where he was commenting on events in the UK after the Southport murders, and published a story about him with the headline “Stoking race riots from his sunbed”.

Dirnhuber said in a witness statement he did not know how Robinson had obtained his address, or who he had shared it with, adding: “I was concerned about the risk of being intercepted on my way to work, either by Robinson for a livestreamed interview or by an unpredictable supporter of his hoping to cause me or my partner physical harm.”

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Robinson said in evidence he had been in “a panic” after the Mail had in effect identified the hotel in Cyprus where he had gone with family and friends and published a photo of his ex-wife, which he said put her at risk. He said he had only wanted to question the journalists and claimed they knew he was “not coming to beat them up”.

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