Tommy Robinson hired detectives to find journalists, court told

Political activist Tommy Robinson has told a court he hired private detectives to track down and photograph two reporters to "put pressure" on them.

The 43-year-old from Bedfordshire, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told Southwark Crown Court he was "shocked and scared" when the Daily Mail published a story accusing him of "stoking race riots from his sunbed".

He has denied two charges of harassment causing fear of violence to reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber after the 2024 Southport attacks.

Robinson is accused of writing posts on X, sending direct messages and making phone calls that made the two journalists fear the risk of vigilante attacks.

He denied wanting to expose the journalists to threats of violence, and said he felt his actions were "totally reasonable... under the circumstances".

In early August 2024, he was on holiday at the Atlantica Mare resort in Cyprus, as riots took place in England following the murders of three girls in Southport.

Robinson was on holiday with "my ex-wife, my three children and three other families and their children", he told the jury.

He said he had managed to keep her and children out of sight "for 17 years -and that meant travelling in separate cars".

In the witness stand, he claimed he had not "stoked" the riots, but tried to "calm" things.

When the Daily Mail published an article online, he said he was "shocked".

"I'm scared because the Mail Online is the biggest publication in the world."

He said the original article allowed people to quickly work out where he was holidaying, and included an image of his wife.

He panicked, thinking it would "change her life forever", he said.

Robinson struggled to answer a question about how his children were affected by the story, as he took tissues and wiped tears from his eyes.

He replied that he left the hotel after the story was published, and that his family moved to a different location within the hotel following advice from security.

Robinson told the jury his 12-year-old daughter had received rape threats, and his ex-wife had previously been threatened with an acid attack.

He said he tried to call the editor-in-chief of the Daily Mail, but he would not answer.

"They could have run the story without giving my location," he said.

"They shouldn't have done that and this is not journalism, this is endangering us."

The court heard how Robinson used private investigators to obtain telephone numbers and emails for the journalists.

He phoned Andrew Young, the Daily Mail reporter who had tracked him down in Cyprus.

"I wanted my ex-wife's picture removed from the publication," he said.

"I said: 'You're not going to get away from this problem...You've endangered my children'."

He told jurors he wanted to "find the journalists" and ask them "on camera" to explain how he was "stoking race riots".

Robinson said he had asked the private investigators to try to get pictures of the journalists and their family members.

Young said he had to use private security after the defendant posted pictures on X of his wife and daughter near their home, with their faces cropped off.

And Dirnhuber said in a statement read to the jury that he left his home for a week after Robinson published a picture of him outside his house on X.

He said he feared the risk of a "vigilante attack".

Under cross examination from prosecutor Ben Holt, Robinson said he did not publish details of their exact address or images that showed the journalists' family members' faces.

He said he was trying to "bring the Daily Mail to the table" and did not know the reporters were "in fear".

"That wasn't my intention at all," he said.

Holt responded: "They're scared of you Mr Lennon."

"They're not scared of physical violence, they're scared of humiliation," Robinson replied.

The trial continues.

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