Tommy Robinson Trial: Court Hears of Private Detective Hires
The activist denies wrongdoing, claiming he hired investigators to find journalists who published his location during riots.
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, hired private detectives to obtain telephone numbers and emails for two Daily Mail journalists, the court heard. Robinson is on trial denying that he intended to expose the journalists to threats of violence.
During the trial, Robinson stated that he was on holiday in Cyprus with his ex-wife, children, and other families in early August 2024, when riots erupted in England following the murders of three girls in Southport. He told the jury he had worked to keep his family out of the public eye for 17 years.
Robinson testified that he did not instigate the riots but instead attempted to de-escalate the situation. He described his reaction to an online article published by the Daily Mail, which he said revealed his holiday location and included an image of his ex-wife. He expressed fear that this would "change her life forever."
The court heard that Robinson's 12-year-old daughter had received rape threats, and his wife had previously been threatened with an acid attack. Robinson said he attempted to contact the Daily Mail's editor-in-chief, but was unsuccessful.
He told the jury that the article could have been published without revealing his location and that the decision to do so was "not journalism, this is endangering us."
Robinson also stated he called Andrew Young, the Daily Mail reporter who located him in Cyprus. According to Young's statement to the court, Robinson said, "I'm coming to get you." Robinson claimed he wanted his ex-wife's picture removed and that the journalists had "endangered my children."
He further stated his intention was to "find the men on camera and ask them how was I stoking race riots?" Robinson asked the private investigators to try and acquire photographs of the journalists and their family members.
Young told the court that he had to hire private security after Robinson posted images on X (formerly Twitter) of his wife and daughter near their home, with their faces obscured. Another journalist, Dirnhuber, stated in a court statement that he left his home for a week after Robinson published a picture of him outside his house on X, fearing a "vigilante attack."
Robinson denies both charges against him, and the trial is ongoing.