Tommy Robinson's jail term cut, release expected within a week

STEPHEN YAXLEY-LENNON, also known as Tommy Robinson, is set to be released from prison within a week after the High Court reduced his 18-month sentence for contempt of court.

The far-right anti-Islam activist was jailed in October after admitting to breaching an injunction that barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who had successfully sued him for libel.

The Solicitor General had taken legal action against Yaxley-Lennon for comments made in online interviews and a documentary titled Silenced, which was viewed millions of times and shown in Trafalgar Square in July.

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The sentence was made up of a 14-month punitive element and a four-month coercive element. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson had said the four-month part could be lifted if Yaxley-Lennon complied with the court order to remove Silenced and related content from social media and other platforms.

On Tuesday, Yaxley-Lennon appeared via video link from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. His lawyer, Alex Di Francesco, told the court that Silenced had been removed from accounts under his control and that requests were made to remove other interviews where the false allegations were repeated.

Judge Johnson ruled that Yaxley-Lennon had “purged” his contempt. “The practical effect is that the defendant will be released once he has completed the punitive element, which I understand will be within the next week,” he said. The original release date had been set for 26 July, but it has now been moved up to 26 May.

The judge noted that while there was “an absence of contrition or remorse”, Yaxley-Lennon had given assurances that he would comply with the injunction in the future and understood the consequences of breaching it again. The court accepted that he had shown a “change in attitude” and had taken steps to comply with the order.

Yaxley-Lennon, 42, was jailed for 10 admitted breaches of the injunction after two contempt of court claims were brought against him by the Solicitor General. The injunction was first issued in 2021 after he falsely accused a Syrian teenager in a viral video of being violent. The teenager later won a libel case against him.

He was accused by some media and politicians of inflaming tensions that led to riots across Britain in July and August last year, following the murder of three girls at a dance workshop in Southport.

In January, a post from his social media account claimed that US billionaire Elon Musk was paying some of his legal fees. Musk has not confirmed this.

(With inputs from agencies)