Tommy Robinson convicted of harassing two journalists after a jury found him guilty of causing them to fear violence. The 43-year-old far-right activist, who told the court his full name is Stephen Lennon, was described by prosecutors as a “bully” during the trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Jurors took more than eleven hours to reach their decision and found him guilty by a majority of ten to two on both charges. The case centred on actions he took after the Daily Mail and MailOnline published a story about him while he was on holiday in Cyprus during the unrest that followed the Southport murders in August 2024.
Robinson responded by posting critical comments about freelance reporter Andrew Young and Daily Mail editor Jacob Dirnhuber on social media. He later hired private investigators to locate their home addresses, as well as the address of Daily Mail editor-in-chief Ted Verity. Photographs of Dirnhuber outside his house and cropped images of Young’s family were later shared online.
The court heard that Robinson became increasingly menacing in a phone call with Young on 5 August 2024, telling him, “I’m coming to get you.” He also left a voicemail for Verity saying he had already located every one of them. As a result, Young was given a close protection officer, Dirnhuber moved house, and another Daily Mail correspondent felt forced to leave his family home for safety.
Robinson claimed the newspaper had put his own family at risk by publishing the original story. He became emotional in the witness box while speaking about his children. However, the jury rejected his defence and accepted the prosecution’s argument that his actions were intended to intimidate the journalists.
Robinson, who has a history of making false claims against Muslims and Pakistanis, was granted bail. He will be sentenced on 16 December. Before the trial he publicly thanked Elon Musk for helping fund his legal costs. The conviction has once again drawn attention to the line between free speech and the use of social media and private investigators to target journalists.
