Tommy Robinson to be Released from Prison Next Week After Sentence Reduction
According to a report from GB News, Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist and founder of the English Defence League, is set to be released from prison within the next week after his 18-month contempt of court sentence was reduced by four months at the High Court.
Robinson had been jailed for 18 months in October after admitting multiple breaches of a 2021 injunction which barred him from repeating allegations against Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian migrant who successfully sued him for libel. The sentence was made up of a 14-month "punitive" element and a four-month "coercive" element.
As GB News reported, Robinson brought an appeal to the High Court to "purge" the latter four months – which was successful. The court heard that Robinson had been told he could leave behind the ‘coercive’ part of his sentence by ‘purging’ his contempt.
"It is open to the defendant to purge his contempt and to seek the remittal of four months of the order, which would result in his earlier release," Justice Johnson said, as quoted by GB News. "To do that, he would need to demonstrate a commitment to comply with the injunction."
Robinson’s libel against the migrant had emerged in a 2023 film, "Silenced", as well in a series of interviews. He admitted to 10 breaches of the injunction last year, after the Solicitor General issued two contempt claims against him.
The first claim alleged he breached the order by having "published, caused, authorised or procured" Silenced. Part of "purging" his contempt could come by taking down the film, Justice Johnson said, as reported by GB News.
Since being jailed, Robinson – currently held at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes – has lost two legal battles related to his imprisonment. In March, he lost a bid to bring a legal challenge against the Ministry of Justice over his segregation from other prisoners while behind bars, after his lawyers claimed it had caused an "evident decline in his mental health".
The Ministry of Justice had argued that he had been segregated because "two other prisoners at HMP Woodhill were plotting to assault the claimant to gain kudos and notoriety". Robinson "had a ‘mark on his head’ and would be killed by a lifer if located on a wing", MoJ barristers said, according to GB News.
As reported by GB News, Robinson will soon be released from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes after serving his reduced sentence. His release is expected to take place within the next week.
This news story is based on a report from GB News, which provided the original article on the topic.
