Tommy Robinson contempt of court hearing over Facebook video delayed

Ex-EDL leader faces up to two years in prison if found guilty

Tommy Robinson's contempt of court case has been delayed. (PA)

A court hearing over whether Tommy Robinson committed contempt of court during a grooming gang trial has been postponed.

The attorney general announced earlier this month that it was in the public interest to bring new proceedings against the former leader of the English Defence League after he allegedly breached a blanket reporting restriction on an ongoing case at Leeds Crown Court.

The footage was watched 250,000 times within hours of being posted on Facebook and sparked a defence application to dismiss the jury, which was refused.

The four men on trial were later convicted of raping a teenage girl as part of a wider Huddersfield grooming gang.

A preliminary hearing for Robinson’s case was due to take place at the High Court in London on 22 March, but the court confirmed on Tuesday that the case would not be heard until sometime after 3 May.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, complained about the delay in a YouTube video and appealed for donations for legal costs.

But The Independent understands that Robinson's own lawyers requested the postponement from the High Court, saying more time was required to prepare evidence.

The anti-Islam activist was jailed for contempt of court in May 2018. The sentence sparked a series of protests and crowds of supporters gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Bailey for previous hearings.

The contempt finding was quashed by the Court of Appeal over procedural failings in August and Robinson was freed on bail, but Geoffrey Cox QC said there was enough evidence to bring fresh contempt proceedings.

If found guilty, Robinson faces up to two years prison.

The 36-year-old has vowed to contest, “along with the support of the British public”, the attorney general's decision, adding: “I am innocent. I broke no law.”

The development comes days after Robinson lost a court case in which he claimed he was a victim of police harassment.

The far-right figurehead had claimed he was "humiliated" when Cambridgeshire Police officers used a dispersal order to eject him from Cambridge pub, telling Peterborough County Court he was “targeted” due to his beliefs.

Additional reporting by PA