Far-right activist Tommy Robinson handed stalking ban after threats to journalist

EDL founder falsely accused man of being a paedophile, court hears

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been handed a temporary stalking ban over threats to a journalist and her partner. Reuters

A British far-right activist has been handed a temporary stalking ban after falsely accusing a journalist’s partner of being a paedophile.

Tommy Robinson, 38, made the accusation against Samuel Partridge in a bid to squash a negative news story about him, Westminster magistrates court in London heard.

Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the English Defence League.

Deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram agreed to impose the interim stalking order preventing Mr Robinson from contacting Mr Partridge and his journalist partner Lizzie Dearden. A full application will be held on July 2.

The court heard Mr Robinson went to their home in south-east London on January 17, days after a request for comment through his solicitors’ firm about a story alleging he misused money donated by his supporters.

Ryan Dowding, representing the Metropolitan police, said Mr Robinson arrived at about 9.50pm with another person in a black Range Rover and began buzzing the building’s intercom.

He asked Ms Dearden and Mr Partridge to “come down to talk” and tried to enter the building when they refused, but was stopped by security, he said.

Mr Dowding told the court, “He could be heard shouting very loudly words to the effect of: ‘Samuel, I know you’re inside. Come out and we’ll sort this out. We’ll be back every day if we have to.’”

He said the person inside the Range Rover was honking the horn and shining the headlights on to the building on full beam as Mr Robinson shouted: “There’s a paedophile living in this building.”

Mr Robinson, who was arrested over the incident, later posted two pictures of Mr Partridge online before sending an email to Ms Dearden purporting to comment on her story about him in which he falsely claimed to have a source saying Mr Partridge had groomed a child, the court heard.

Mr Ikram said he was satisfied the temporary order was “necessary and proportionate” because the acts were “capable of being associated with stalking” and there was an “ongoing risk”.

“What the police say in this case is he has embarked on all of this to persuade her not to publish the story and he sought to do so by the threat of publishing his own allegations about her partner, which it’s said are simply not true,” he said.

The order prevents Mr Robinson, who lives in Bedfordshire, from contacting Ms Dearden and her partner or publishing anything about them on social media unless referring to her as the author when responding to any story written by her.

Mr Dowding said Mr Robinson, a “high-profile public figure” and “self-styled independent journalist”, produces content on social media such as the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

“He is aware of the hearing because yesterday he posted a Telegram video in which he makes reference to being in court on Friday afternoon,” he said.