Tommy Robinson will STAY in prison after complaining jail segregation was ‘making him ill’
TOMMY Robinson will stay in prison after complaining jail segregation was “making him ill”.
The far-Right activist – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – was locked up for 18 months in October for contempt of court.
Robinson has since been “segregated” from other inmates at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire following threats to his safety.
The former EDL leader launched an appeal against the length of his sentence but today lost his bid and will remain in jail.
Robinson’s lawyers argued his time in prison was “making him ill” and that the segregation was having a “demonstrable effect”.
But barristers for the Solicitor General, who opposes the appeal, said there are “no grounds” for reducing the sentence.
In a ruling on Wednesday, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Lord Justice Edis and Lord Justice Warby dismissed the bid.
They said: “The judge’s application of the law and his reasoning on the appropriate sanction in this case both exhibit a meticulous approach.”
The decision marks Robinson’s second defeat in less than a month after a separate appeal bid against the segregation was thrown out.
The court was told there are fears Robinson will be assaulted or even killed by a “lifer” for “kudos” – hence the decision to move him to a closed wing.
A lawyer for the Ministry of Justice said at least two inmates were plotting to attack Robinson and that he had a “mark on his head”.
Robinson was jailed after admitting ten breaches of a High Court order made in 2021 by repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee.
The row first erupted in 2018 when a video went viral that showed Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian in West Yorkshire, being attacked by another teenager at school.
Robinson posted his own response this his one million Facebook followers falsely claiming that Jamal was a violent thug.
As a result, the teen and his family received a string of death threats and were later awarded £100,000 in damages after suing Robinson for defamation.
The court slapped the activities with an injunction that banned him from making the claims again.
But in 2023, Robinson lashed out at Jamal again and posted a video claiming he had been “silenced” by the state.
He re-showed the clip to thousands of his supporters in London‘s Trafalgar Square.
Jailing him, Judge Mr Justice Johnson said the breaches were not “accidental, negligent or merely reckless”.
He added: “In a democratic society underpinned by the rule of law, court orders must be obeyed.
“Nobody is above the law. Nobody can pick or choose which laws or which injunctions they obey, or which they do not.
“Even if they believe that an injunction is… contrary to their views they must comply with the injunction.
“They are not entitled to set themselves up as the judge in their own court. Otherwise the administration of justice and rule of law would break down.”
Robinson is currently set to be released from prison on July 26.
Welcoming today’s ruling, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: “Stephen Yaxley-Lennon repeatedly ignored judges’ orders and continued to spread libellous allegations.
“His 18-month sentence reflected how gravely the court considers contempt.
“We respect the court’s decision to refuse permission to appeal the sentence imposed.”