Police suspected Tommy Robinson had information relevant to acts of terrorism on phone, court told

Police officers who stopped Tommy Robinson as he tried to leave the UK last year had reasonable suspicions that his phone contained information relevant to acts of terrorism, prosecutors have told his trial.

The far-right activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, refused to give police the pin for his phone because it had “journalistic material on it” after they stopped him at the Channel tunnel on 28 July 2024.

On the last day of the trial, prosecutor Jo Morris said the counter-terrorism powers used by police to stop Robinson exist to allow for intelligence gathering and that police had a reasonable suspicion that he still had links to far-right activists, even after the disbandment of the English Defence League (EDL).

“Although his membership of the EDL has come to an end, his views have not gone away. He is known for having those views and therefore it is a reasonable suspicion to think that on his telephone there may be information relevant to acts of terrorism,” she told Westminster magistrates court.

“His beliefs – to which he is entitled – were not the subject for their [referring to the police] concern on 28 July. It was his connection to others who are potentially involved in prohibited activities,” she said.

The activist had arrived alone at the Channel tunnel in a silver Bentley belonging to a friend and was on his way to the Spanish resort of Benidorm with more than £13,000 in a small bag, the trial heard on Monday.

The money was said to have been from a collection to offset the expenses from organising a major rally that took place the day before in Trafalgar Square.

Robinson, who denies failing to comply with counter-terrorism powers during the incident on 28 July last year, faces up to three months in prison or a possible £2,500 fine if found guilty.

His barrister, Alisdair Williamson KC, said in closing submissions on Tuesday that counter-terrorism police who stopped Robinson had engaged in a “fishing expedition” and that he had been unlawfully detained.

Referring to evidence from police who said they called “partner agencies” after detaining Robinson, Williamson said this was a reference to the intelligence agencies and that no evidence had been offered from MI5 to suggest his client was a terrorist.

Williamson said the officers’ intervention was “discriminatory” because it was based to a “significant degree on a protected characteristic”. He said that the “predominant influence” on the decision to stop him was “‘oh look, it’s Tommy Robinson”.

He said that officers had used an “extraordinary power that needs to be properly policed” to try to find out information that was already known. Williamson suggested Robinson travelled to Benidorm regularly, which should have lessened the officers’ suspicions about him.

Robinson claimed on Monday that his legal costs in the case were being paid for by Elon Musk, the owner of X and Tesla, who has emerged as an ally of the far-right activist and recently addressed a rally organised by him in London via a livestream.

A suggested date of next Tuesday for the verdict was changed by the district judge, Sam Goozee, after Williamson said Robinson was due to be a guest of the Israeli government from Wednesday and would not return until 25 October.

“I wouldn’t trouble you if this was a trip to Benidorm. I would ask him to rearrange it but he is a guest of a foreign government,” said Williamson.

Goozee said he would hand down his verdict on the morning on 4 November.