The far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) was today found guilty of harassing two MailOnline journalists, causing fear of violence.
The jury convicted him by a majority of 10 to 2 on both charges (harassment causing fear of violence), having deliberated at Southwark Crown Court for 11 hours and twenty-five minutes.
Mr Justice Cavanagh will consider all options when Yaxley-Lennon returns for sentencing on 16 December, including a custodial sentence – be it in prison or suspended. Harassment causing fear of violence can carry a maximum custodial sentence of ten years in prison.
Yaxley-Lennon’s posts about Jacob Dirnhuber and Andrew Young gained millions of views on X (formerly Twitter) after the newspaper’s high-profile coverage in print and online included the headline “stoking riots from his sunbed” following the far-right violence and rioting after the horrific murders and stabbings in Southport in August 2024.
One of the journalists who worked on identifying Yaxley-Lennon in Cyprus, Andrew Young, had described in court an “increasingly menacing” tone in their phone call, which the prosecution had argued sat within a wider pattern of “intimidatory tactics”. And that “Mr Young believes Mr Lennon said, ‘I’m coming to get you’.” Further describing publishing photographs and the address of his family.
Yaxley-Lennon had contacted Dirnhuber again over direct message on X, stating, “Okay got your address. We need to talk,” having made a public post on 5 August 2024. A day later, Yaxley-Lennon claimed, “Don’t worry I’ve already tracked each one of them”, in a post that gained over three million views on X and remained online throughout the trial. Hours later, he went further, sharing a photo of one of the journalists and then family members outside of their home.
A witness statement from Dirnhuber made clear: “I was concerned about the risk of being intercepted on my way to work, either by Robinson for a livestreamed interview or by an unpredictable supporter of his hoping to cause me or my partner physical harm.”
A third Daily Mail journalist, George Odling, detailed in his witness statement that he, his wife, and young child left their home, fearing that supporters of Yaxley-Lennon would follow them.
By 7 August 2024, Yaxley-Lennon had left a voicemail to the Daily Mail’s editor-in-chief, Ted Verity, informing him that he would “make you famous and your families”, as Verity passed to the police a voicemail that also included the claim: “I’ve already located every f****** one of you.”
During the trial, jurors heard that the newspaper had hired a close protection officer for Young, as Dirnhuber moved house, fearing a vigilante-style attack.
Yaxley-Lennon had failed to convince the jury that the Daily Mail and MailOnline coverage had “endangered his family”.
Frank Ferguson, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, in a statement published following the verdict: “Stephen Lennon weaponised social media and subjected two journalists to a campaign of harassment which caused them serious fear of violence.
“The evidence in this case showed that he targeted the victims directly and indirectly through social media and by telephone. He also published images relating not only to them, but also their families.
“The jury heard from the victims and witnesses in this case, ultimately deciding that this behaviour crossed the line into criminality.
“Nobody should be made to fear violence because of the work they do. Journalists play an important role in a democratic society and should be able to carry out their professional duties without being subjected to harassment.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police detailed the timeline of the case, as a spokesperson said: “There are legitimate and established routes that can be pursued by people who have concerns or complaints about their treatment by the media.
“In this case, Lennon chose not to follow any of these and, instead, issued various threatening online posts in the knowledge that they would almost certainly lead to his followers to target and intimidate those journalists, which is exactly what happened. This left them fearing for their own safety and that of their families – so much so that they felt compelled to take significant safety precautions including leaving their homes and hiring private security personnel.
“This kind of intimidatory behaviour is not acceptable, and anyone behaving in such a way to intimidate, harass and threaten others either online or in the real world can expect to be investigated and brought before the courts as was the case here.”