Prosecutors have accused Tommy Robinson of acting in a “vigilante world” after allegedly retaliating against two journalists by using private investigators to locate them. The 43-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, denies two charges of harassment causing fear of violence.
Closing speeches began at Southwark Crown Court after Robinson gave evidence during his trial. Prosecutor Ben Holt told jurors that the defendant “didn’t care” how journalists Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber felt, adding: “He just threatened people and acted like a bully.”
The case follows an article which reported that Robinson had been using his account on X to post about unrest in the UK while on holiday with his family in Cyprus. Photographers were subsequently sent to the journalists’ homes, the court heard.
Mr Holt said a video posted by Robinson, referring to “Men’s Rules” applying to anyone who endangered his family, was intended to place the recipients in fear of violence.
“Let’s get real shall we, and not live in a vigilante world where Men’s Rules apply, whatever they are,” Mr Holt told the jury. “Let’s ground ourselves in a country where there is law and order.”
The prosecutor said the alleged threats represented an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” approach. He told jurors: “Retaliation is not a defence. The days of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth are long gone.”
The court heard that Robinson allegedly sent Mr Dirnhuber a message saying: “I’ll be knocking on your door.” He is also accused of telephoning Mr Young, swearing and shouting that he had researched his family and saying: “I’m coming to get you.”
A man identifying himself as Robinson also allegedly left a voicemail on the mobile phone of the Daily Mail’s editor-in-chief, saying: “I’ve already located every f***ing one of you.”
Mr Holt said the journalists had been able to travel to Cyprus because Robinson had posted about his location. Mr Young was sent there with a photographer, and Robinson was found using his mobile phone while lying on a sunbed.
The prosecutor said it “may not have been a good call” to publish a photograph of Robinson’s former wife, but noted that the article itself did not mention her and that Robinson’s children were not photographed.
“He never once asked for the article to be taken down or amended in any way,” Mr Holt said. He added that Robinson had complained to the press regulator, IPSO, more than two years after the alleged incident.
Jurors have been asked to decide whether Robinson’s response was reasonable. Mr Holt said the defendant’s position amounted to wanting to “get even” because he felt wronged, and argued that it was not a defence to say: “You’ve done wrong, so I’ll do wrong to you.”
The court also heard that Robinson had previously received several “threat to life” warnings from Bedfordshire Police, including warnings relating to left-wing activists who had obtained his address.
Those warnings followed an online video in 2019 in which a man threatened to stab Robinson in the neck. His car was set alight in 2020, and a video circulated in August 2024 showed a masked man brandishing what appeared to be an AK47 and shouting a threat against the EDL.
The allegations in the current trial date back to the unrest that followed the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport on 29 July 2024. The trial continues.
