Tommy Robinson fined after failing to turn up at High Court finances hearing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo

Tommy Robinson has been fined £900 for failing to turn up at the High Court for questioning over his finances.

He was due at a hearing in March about unpaid legal bills after losing a libel case brought against him by a teenager.

The English Defence League founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was successfully sued by Jamal Hijazi after Mr Hijazi was assaulted in Huddersfield in 2018, then aged 15.

Robinson was handed the fine after he admitted being in contempt of court.

The 39-year-old claimed in two Facebook videos that Mr Hijazi was “not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school” following a video of Mr Hijazi being assaulted at Almondbury Community School went viral shortly after the incident in October 2018.

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A High Court judge later found the claims to be false, with Robinson ordered to pay more than £43,000 in legal costs.

However, he declared bankruptcy about four months later which was subsequently discharged.

Mr Hijazi’s lawyers successfully applied for an order requiring Robinson to return to court to answer questions about his finances on 22 March but Robinson failed to attend.

The court previously heard Robinson was facing mental health issues at the time, which he claimed were a result of being harassed.

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Robinson also told the court he spent around £100,000 on gambling, largely in casinos, prior to declaring bankruptcy.

In court on Monday, Mr Justice Nicklin said Robinson had 14 days to pay and could be liable to serve 28 days in prison if he fails to do so.

He said: “Whatever psychiatric issues Mr Lennon had, they did not prevent him from coming to the hearing that he failed to turn up at.”

The judge later said Robinson had recently published a video asking for support, including the words “Don’t let them lock Tommy up again” and “Keep him free of the clutches of the corrupt establishment”.

Mr Justice Nicklin said he had decided to fine Robinson prior to seeing the video.

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