Tommy Robinson case: Supporters hurl beer cans as protests erupt after former EDL leader found in contempt of court

Live updates from the Old Bailey contempt hearing

Tommy Robinson arrives at the Old Bailey for contempt of court hearing

Tommy Robinson is facing another prison sentence after being found in contempt of court by judges at the Old Bailey.

The 36 year-old founder of the English Defence League breached reporting restrictions on a grooming trial by livestreaming a video outside Leeds Crown Court and “aggressively confronting” defendants in the case.

Robinson, who is in court under his real name of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was previously jailed for 13 months in May 2018 but was freed on appeal because the original contempt hearing was “rushed”.

Two High Court judges, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby, are due to decide on the sentence at another hearing on 11 July.

See below for our liveblog on the court hearing at the Old Bailey:

Key Points

• Tommy Robinson found in contempt of court
• Supporters erupt in fury at judges' decision
• Robinson could face up to two years in prison
• Supporters' bus slapped with parking ticket outside Old Bailey
• Robinson's explanation to judges is impossible, court hears

[5 July 2019 10:36 · Peter Stubley]

"The evidence has completely backed up and proved that I was correct, there was nothing on the door, nothing on the screen," he says.

"I would never have interfered with justice, you can see how shocked I was when I was arrested."

[5 July 2019 10:40 · Peter Stubley]

Robinson later fell out with the man who went inside the court to check on the restriction, and accused him of being an "infiltrator".

He says he was unable to get a copy of the photo from inside the court from this man for this contempt hearing.

[5 July 2019 10:42 · Peter Stubley]

Robinson leaves the witness box.

The attorney general's barrister is now putting his case that Robinson knew the reporting restriction was in place and should have sought details of this court order.

[5 July 2019 10:56 · Peter Stubley]

Andrew Caldecott QC for the attorney general, has suggested there are inconsistencies in the various accounts Robinson has given about his knowledge of reporting restrictions.

Robinson referred to the reporting restriction in his livestream video, saying he was "worried" he would not be able to give details of the verdicts.

He did not refer to any checks on reporting restrictions at his original contempt hearing in Leeds, which led to him being jailed for 13 months.

At the appeal hearing Robinson said he didn't believe that he was violating the reporting restrictions and so relied on information in the public domain (a report of an earlier hearing before restrictions were in force, in the Huddersfield Examiner).

He has told this hearing at the Old Bailey that he got a friend to see if there were any reporting restrictions on the door and TV screens, and personally checked the court website.

[5 July 2019 11:03 · Peter Stubley]

Mr Caldecott says Robinson's account of checking reporting restrictions is "impossible".

"The public were not allowed in court until 8.30am. We know the livestream must have started within minutes of 8.30am passing. That simply does not give time for the colleague to go through security, get up to the third floor, take a photograph of the court, come back down, also photograph the screens, then report to Mr Yaxley-Lennon. It is another striking element in the sheer impossibility of this account being true."

[5 July 2019 11:05 · Peter Stubley]

"This raises the critical question of why Mr Yaxley-Lennon did not take this step. His whole objective was to get the defendants' faces out there and he knew they were liable to arrive early at court."

[5 July 2019 11:09 · Peter Stubley]

"He also knew there were no media present there at all. That must have told him they weren't there for a reason - the reason was they couldn't report what was going on."

[5 July 2019 11:11 · Peter Stubley]

Mr Caldecott: 

What we suggest has happened here is that he found the Huddersfield Examiner online and took a punt that he could get away with mentioning the defendants. He wanted to say who they were and the charges they were facing or his livestream would be meaningless.

He says that Robinson only discovered a reference to being able to publish material in the public domain after his original contempt hearing. "If he checked it before the hearing, it would have been a stunningly obvious point to mention to his lawyers."

[5 July 2019 11:22 · Peter Stubley]

The lawyer for the attorney general turns to the issue of interfering with the administration of justice.

"The key question is whether a sufficient degree of seriousness is made out," he adds.

This involves looking at the "important" case of Runting and others  (1989) in the lever arch file of authorities.

[5 July 2019 11:27 · Peter Stubley]

The bus outside the court has been given a parking ticket, according to Press Association.

Robinson's supporters booed as the warden slapped the sanction on the front windscreen.

The warden - who appeared unaffected by the jeers - said the fine was £130, reduced to £65 if paid quickly.