Tommy Robinson gets five-year stalking ban after journalist harassment

Robinson walked out of the hearing part way through

Tommy Robinson has been given a five-year stalking protection order after shouting abuse outside the home of a journalist and threatening to return to her address. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, went to the home of Lizzie Dearden, the Independent's home affairs correspondent, in January of this year. On Wednesday (October 13), Westminster magistrates court heard that he stood outside of the property and shouted unsubstantiated allegations about Dearden's boyfriend, Samuel Partridge. The deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said at a hearing that the English Defence League founder's behaviour "crossed the line between mere harassment and stalking." The court had previously heard that Robinson hired a private investigator to find out information about Dearden after she made a request for comment on a story alleging that he misused money donated by his supporters. Dearden made the request for comment through Robinson's solicitors. After he obtained her address, Robinson arrived outside the house at around 10pm, shouting her to come to the door and claiming that her boyfriend was a paedophile. Robinson had claimed he visited the property to "exercise his right to reply," but this idea was "wholly rejected" by the magistrate. Ikram added there was "not a shred of evidence" that the claims about Partridge were true. He said: "The complainant [Dearden] refused to come out or engage with the defendant [Robinson]. "The defendant reacted by saying that he would come back to her address 'every night.'

"In my judgment, that crosses the line in this case between mere harassment and acts associated with stalking in that he threatened to repeatedly return to her home address.

"The defendant was arrested before he could carry out his threat.

"I find that the intention of the defendant turning up at a journalist’s house at past 10pm was clear: to intimidate her."

Robinson had argued that he was "calm" throughout the incident, but this was contradicted by multiple witness accounts from neighbours and was rejected by Ikram.

He said: "Ms Dearden has said she felt extremely shaken, distressed and unsafe and afraid to go outside.

"The defendant clearly poses and continues to pose a risk to the complainant’s physical and psychological wellbeing."

According to the Guardian, Robinson walked out of the courtroom part way through the hearing and did not return as the verdict was given. He is now prohibited from contacting Dearden or Partridge and forbidden from attending any places where they live or work, unless specifically invited for an interview. Robinson is also not allowed to publish any material concerning, or making any reference to, Dearden or Partridge, directly or indirectly, on any websites, on social media or in print.

Robinson will be able to respond to the judgment and future articles written by Dearden with "legitimate comment" but without reference to his allegations against Partridge.

This is not Robinson's first run-in with the law. Earlier this year he was ordered to pay £100,000 in libel damages to a Syrian teenager after accusing the boy of attacking girls. Related links:

• Syrian teenager who won Tommy Robinson libel case: ‘I’ll use the money to do good’
• Tommy Robinson moans he’s ‘bankrupt’ after being ordered to pay schoolboy £100k
• 'I made Tommy Robinson go viral, will you forgive me?'