Tommy Robinson Has Been Released From Prison

Tommy Robinson has been released from prison, having served half of his 19-week sentence.

Journalists and fans gathered outside of HMP Belmarsh in south-east London as he emerged from the maximum security prison.

He was found guilty of three counts of contempt of court in July.

In sentencing the EDL founder, judges - Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby - said: "The contempts we have found proved were not ones of deliberate defiance. In the event neither the trial nor the trial that followed were prejudiced. Nevertheless his conduct amounted to a serious contempt."

They continued: "We are in no doubt a custodial threshold is passed in this case. Nothing less than a custodial penalty would reflect the gravity of the conduct.

"The main purpose of the penalty in this case is deterrence."

The charges against Robinson - who was tried under his real name of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - relate to live streams that he made outside Leeds Crown Court during the trial of several men from Huddersfield, who were accused of grooming children.

The broadcast, which lasted for around an hour, was seen by around 250,000 people after it was broadcast on Facebook.

The case against Yaxley-Lennon was based on reporting restrictions that were put in place surrounding the case. They prohibited any details of the case being published until the end of a series of trials that involved 29 defendants.

However, the live stream took place during the time period of jury deliberation in the second trial on 25 May 2018.

Andrew Caldecott QC, prosecuting, said that the defendant failed to check for restrictions and told the court of 'inconsistencies' in accounts given by Robinson with regards to whether he checked for restrictions or not.

PA

He told the court: "Even if he did not know for certain the terms of the order, he knew the existence of such an order was likely and again was subjectively reckless."

Robinson said: "I took the view that it didn't matter if I wasn't going to report on the details of the case, and that if I was only going to stick to details in the public domain, it didn't matter."

Speaking outside the prison, far-right activist Katie Hopkins said Robinson's 'fight' would 'go on'.

She said: "He is clearly very motivated to get back out telling people's stories on the streets of the UK. I think that's a fantastic thing."

Topics: UK News, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey