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Tommy Robinson, the political activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been found guilty of harassing two journalists from the Daily Mail. The jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted the 43-year-old on two counts of harassment that caused the victims to fear violence. These charges stemmed from Robinson’s actions following the publication of articles in August 2024, which depicted him on holiday in Cyprus amid violent riots in England connected to the Southport murders.
During the trial, the court learned that Robinson employed what were described as “bully-boy, intimidatory tactics” to unsettle reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber. This harassment was severe enough that the journalists felt compelled to hire security and, in some cases, leave their homes. Robinson, who comes from Bedfordshire, denied the allegations, insisting that he had only “panicked” and was “scared” after the Daily Mail accused him of “stoking race riots from his sunbed.” He argued that the article, by naming the hotel where he and his family were staying near Ayia Napa, had put them in danger.
The prosecution presented evidence showing that following the murders of three girls in Southport on 29 July 2024, Robinson made multiple posts on social media revealing his presence in Cyprus. The Daily Mail published photos of him “reclining on a sunbed using his mobile telephone,” which prompted him to respond aggressively on his X account. Notably, on 4 August, he posted: “The daily mail have purposely gave the location of where I am with my children knowing full well that people want to kill me.” Robinson also admitted to hiring private investigators to find the addresses of the two journalists, arguing that his goal was to “put pressure on them,” though he denied intending to cause them fear.
The jury sided with the prosecution, concluding that Robinson had hired detectives to intimidate the journalists. Evidence included photographs of Dirnhuber outside his home, cropped images of Young’s family posted online by Robinson, and increasingly threatening communications, including a phone call during which Robinson told Young, “I’m coming to get you.” Despite Robinson’s claims that the Daily Mail endangered his family, jurors did not accept this defense. The Metropolitan Police, responding to concerns raised by the journalists, noted that “there are legitimate and established routes that can be pursued by people who have concerns or complaints about their treatment by the media,” but Robinson had instead chosen to post threatening messages online. The police confirmed that the journalists felt sufficiently threatened to leave their homes and hire private security, condemning the type of intimidation Robinson employed as unacceptable. Robinson was granted bail pending sentencing, which is set for 16 December. The offense of harassment causing fear of violence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, increasing to 14 years if racially or religiously aggravated
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