English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon faces contempt proceedings for failing to attend court for questioning about his finances over an unpaid £43,000 legal bill.
Yaxley-Lennon – who goes by the name Tommy Robinson – failed to attend a hearing in March, which his barrister told the High Court was because he was ‘suffering from a number of mental health issues which he says are attributable to harassment by various individuals’.
Oliver McEntee said his client ‘simply was not in a fit state of mind to attend court’ earlier this year and that he would be able to provide medical evidence to that effect.
Mr Justice Nicklin today gave directions for Yaxley-Lennon, 39, to attend court for questioning over the unpaid bill – which relates to a pre-trial costs order – next month, saying that ‘were he to fail to attend again, that would be an aggravating feature’.
The judge said there will be another hearing concerning the alleged contempt of court in August, telling McEntee that it was ‘not capable of any real argument’ that Yaxley-Lennon failed to attend but that there may be ‘good reasons’ for him not doing so.
Today’s hearing was the latest chapter following a libel case brought against Yaxley-Lennon by Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi, who was filmed being attacked at his school in Huddersfield in 2018. After the video went viral, Yaxley-Lennon claimed that Hijazi was ‘not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school’. Nicklin ruled in Hijazi’s favour and last year awarded him damages of £100,000.
After today's hearing, Nick Lowles – chief executive of advocacy group Hope not Hate – said: ‘For those of us who have been working for justice for the teenage victim of Robinson’s vile vitriol, Jamal Hijazi, Tommy Robinson’s attendance in court today is a step in the right direction. Jamal and his family deserve justice.
‘We believe that Tommy Robinson is hiding at least £3m in assets, and have collected enough evidence to prove it. We look forward to seeing this case progress further.’
