A jury at Southwark Crown Court found the far-right activist guilty of harassing two reporters over coverage linked to the 2024 Southport murders; sentencing is expected in December.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday found the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, guilty of harassing two journalists to the point where it caused them fear of violence. The verdict came after a week-long trial, according to The Guardian, and The New York Times reports that he will be sentenced in December.
The court heard that the two Daily Mail reporters and members of their families fled their homes after what the trial was told were "bullyboy, intimidatory tactics". Robinson had shared pictures of the family of one of the journalists online and said he had "tagged and bagged" all three reporters who worked on an article about the 2024 Southport murders. The charges related to only two of those three journalists.
The case is being watched as a test of how far the law protects reporters from targeted online campaigns that spill into their private lives. The sentence has not yet been decided, and details of any penalty will only be known once the court sits again in December.
