Tommy Robinson tells courtroom he had pictures taken of journalists’ properties to stress them | UK information

The far-right activist Tommy Robinson has advised his harassment trial that he used non-public investigators to trace down journalists who had written about his alleged position within the 2024 riots, and had images taken of their properties “to place stress” on them.

Robinson, whose actual identify is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, denied in courtroom that his actions, which included sharing pictures of the spouse and daughter of one of many journalists, have been designed to intimidate and bully.

“I’m not coming to beat [them] up … they know that,” he mentioned, referring to messages and phone calls, together with a voicemail message left for the editor of the Daily Mail after Robinson had paid to get his private quantity.

Robinson is charged with two counts of harassment inflicting worry of violence to 2 MailOn-line journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, in 2024. He denies the costs.

Robinson, 43, gave proof and was cross-examined on Thursday, when he claimed he “felt it was completely affordable” to publish a photograph of Dirnhuber at his house as a result of he was “in a race in opposition to time” to get the Mail to take away a photograph of his ex-wife, which the Mail revealed in a narrative about him being in Cyprus, with the headline: “Stoking race riots from his sunbed”.

However, he conceded that when he despatched messages to the journalists, spoke to at least one on the cellphone, and left a message on the voicemail of the Mail’s editor-in-chief, Ted Verity, he had not requested for the Mail to take away the picture.

Robinson mentioned he believed he was “restrained” within the voicemail he left for Verity, through which he mentioned he would make him and his household well-known, and went on to say he advised the journalists concerned that he would get their addresses as a result of he was “utilizing it as a play card”.

The prosecutor Ben Holt requested him about Dirnhuber and his companion having to depart their house on account of threatening emails he allegedly obtained, and about Young’s household having additionally thought of leaving their house.

“The total scenario, I want didn’t occur, I want that none of that had occurred,” mentioned Robinson. “I used to be sadly in a scenario the place I used to be panicked.”

Referring to the journalists and the way they felt about messages he despatched to them, he advised Southwark crown courtroom: “They know I’m not going to come back and beat them up. They know that.”

Holt continued: “They are frightened of you, Mr Lennon,” to which got here the reply: “They are usually not frightened of bodily violence from me.”

Robinson was additionally requested about messages and on-line posts directed on the journalists by others after he had began utilizing his personal X account to tweet about them, together with one submit from an X consumer who advised Dirnhuber they’d beat the “fuck” out of him.

Asked by Holt if he appreciated that messages similar to this had been “generated” by his personal output, Robinson mentioned: “I don’t agree with any of those messages … I don’t know who despatched these messages. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Robinson had been in Cyprus in early August 2024. At the time, violence was breaking out throughout England within the wake of the homicide of three ladies in Southport. He advised the jury he was with “my ex-wife, my three youngsters and three different households and their youngsters”.

In the witness stand, Robinson claimed he had not “stoked” the riots, however tried to calm issues.

The first day of the trial was advised on Monday that journalists and their members of the family needed to flee their properties after Robinson deployed “bullyboy, intimidatory techniques”.

The trial continues.