Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is poised for an early prison exit after a High Court slashed his contempt of court sentence. He could walk free within days.
Robinson’s Sentence Slashed
The 41-year-old was originally locked up for 18 months last October. His crime? Ignoring a 2021 High Court ban on repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who had won a libel case against him.
His sentence was split into two parts:
- A 14-month punitive term
- A four-month coercive term aimed at forcing Robinson to obey the court order
Legal Twist Sees Sentence Cut
Robinson’s legal team recently argued he was now willing to stick to the court’s demands and applied to “purge his contempt.” Even lawyers for the Solicitor General agreed he had taken “appropriate steps” to comply.
Mr Justice Johnson, who heard the case, noted Robinson’s “absence of contrition or remorse” but accepted he had stopped breaking the injunction since being jailed. The judge also highlighted Robinson’s promise to keep to the rules in future.
“He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again,” said Justice Johnson.
The judge deemed it “appropriate to grant the application,” cutting out the four-month coercive term from Robinson’s sentence.
Robinson Set to Walk Free This Week
This ruling means Robinson’s release has been pushed up from July 26 to potentially later this week. Final approval is now with the prison authorities, but the far-right firebrand appears set for an early exit.
