Walter Finch
FAR-RIGHT activist Tommy Robinson has been ordered to pay £50,000 in legal costs following his 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.
The Luton-native, who spends most of his time in exile in Spain, has been hit with the fine after repeatedly airing a libellous film about a Syrian refugee.
Robinson, 42, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, broadcast the documentary at both protests in London and also pinned to the top of his social media channels in defiance of a 2021 High Court injunction.
Having returned to the UK from Spain to face the music, Lennon admitted to breaching the court order on ten occasions.
He used his platforms to repeat defamatory allegations against Jamal Hijazi, a schoolboy who was the victim of a widely circulated attack at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield in 2018.
His claims, made on social media, led to a 2021 libel ruling against him, in which Lennon was ordered to pay Hijazi £100,000 in damages and legal fees.
Despite the injunction barring further repetition of these allegations, Lennon went on to feature the claims in a film titled Silenced, screened to supporters at Trafalgar Square earlier this year.
The production, financed by conspiracy-theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars, was described in court as a calculated and deliberate violation of judicial orders.
At his sentencing in October, Mr Justice Johnson condemned Lennon’s actions, noting his lack of remorse and stating: “Nobody is above the law. Nobody can pick and choose which injunctions they obey and which they do not.”
The £50,000 in costs, part of an £80,350 claim by the Solicitor General, must be paid by 4pm onJanuary 7, 2025. The remaining amount will be addressed later.
Justice Johnson dismissed Lennon’s incarceration and supposed financial difficulties as valid reasons for non-payment, though he acknowledged they could complicate enforcement.
Despite claiming that he is penniless and being de-banked by UK authorities, Lennon has enjoyed a five-star lifestyle during his recent escapades abroad.
He was discovered enjoying a family holiday in a luxury resort in Cyprus in the summer, before returning to Spain where he usually resides in the Costa Blanca.
He has also taken frequent trips to the Canary Islands, Portugal and the Costa del Sol in this period, while investigators have noted his habit of opening companies and then closing them before the time comes to declare tax.
Lennon, who has been to jail on a number of occasions for a combination of fraud, contempt of court and assault, has tried to present himself as the victim of a corrupt establishment stitch up.
But critics argue his actions undermine public trust in the judiciary, with some suggesting that his defiance represents an unacceptable challenge to the rule of law in the UK.
