Tommy Robinson Trial: Journalists Testify to Fear After Alleged Harassment

A Daily Mail journalist told a court he has been left scared to leave his home and fears a "vigilante attack" after being targeted by Tommy Robinson. Another reporter stated his family felt under threat due to alleged harassment by the activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

Robinson, 43, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court facing two counts of harassment causing fear of violence, which he denies. Jurors heard written witness statements on Tuesday from Daily Mail journalist Jacob Dirnhuber and freelance reporter Andrew Young.

Prosecutors allege that Robinson used "bully-boy, intimidatory tactics" to harass the journalists following a Daily Mail front-page picture of him on a sunbed in Cyprus in August 2024. These alleged tactics included social media posts and direct messages on X, as well as sending photographers to their homes.

Jacob Dirnhuber stated in his witness statement that he had never before felt physically threatened by his work. "It made me for a period scared to go out in public, it made me scared to go to my own house," Dirnhuber's statement read. "Even now every time I step out of my front door I am aware that there is a risk of a vigilante attack. I feel very vulnerable. I feel I will be looking over my shoulder for a very long time."

Dirnhuber also expressed concern about being "intercepted" on his way to work by Robinson or an "unpredictable supporter" potentially hoping to cause him or his partner physical harm. Following the social media posts, Dirnhuber and his partner temporarily left their home and stayed in a hotel until security arrangements, including a doorbell camera and assessment for a panic alarm, were made.

Freelance reporter Andrew Young recounted a phone call on August 5, 2024, in which Robinson allegedly threatened to visit his house, saying: "I'm coming to get you." Young stated that Robinson's tone became "increasingly menacing" and that the activist claimed to have been researching his family, threatening to "doxx" them online.

"I told him several times that I regarded what he was saying as threatening behaviour," Young's statement read. Robinson allegedly told Young he would have to move house and that he would be "shoving a camera in my face and asking questions."

Young also expressed fear of Robinson's followers, noting his substantial following on X at the time. "My main concern was that while he may not physically harm me, he had 800,000 followers on X at the time who might have been tempted to seek revenge on me, or my home, or my family for what I had written," Young stated.

The court heard previously that Robinson told police he was "overrun with news crews taking photos and filming my children" in Cyprus after his hotel was identified. The Daily Mail stated that no identifiable pictures of his children were published.

Robinson, founder of the English Defence League, pleaded not guilty to the two charges of harassment causing fear of violence in July of the previous year. The trial is expected to last five days.