The Aporia · Robinson shared photos of reporter's family, court told

Robinson shared photos of reporter's family, court told

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Godfrey-Evans, H. (2026, October 20). Robinson shared photos of reporter's family, court told. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx2q5dw5p90o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Quick Summary

Tommy Robinson, a political activist from Bedfordshire, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court for harassing journalists Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber by sharing photos of their families online and making threatening remarks. The court heard that after articles about him were published in July 2024, Robinson posted images of Young’s wife and child to his social media followers, leading to fear among the journalist's family members who believed they were being stalked. Prosecutor Ben Holt described Robinson's actions as "bully-boy tactics" aimed at intimidating journalists covering far-right agitation online following a series of murders in Southport that year.

Written by AI on 2026-10-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Tommy Robinson tells court he had photos taken of journalists’ homes to pressure them

In his testimony at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, far-right activist Tommy Robinson (43) claimed that hiring private investigators to take photographs of the home addresses of MailOnline journalists Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber was intended to "put pressure" on them rather than intimidate or bully. Robinson denied that his actions were designed to cause fear, stating, “I’m not coming to beat [them] up … they know that.” He also mentioned a voicemail left for the editor of the Daily Mail after obtaining their personal number.

Robinson is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence towards Young and Dirnhuber in 2024. During his testimony, he argued that publishing a photo of Jacob Dirnhuber at his home was "totally reasonable" because he felt it necessary to get the MailOnline to remove an image of his ex-wife from their story about him being on holiday in Cyprus.

Despite these claims, Robinson acknowledged that the journalists involved feared violence due to his actions and those of his supporters. He stated, “I’m not going to argue” with their witness statements but added, "Under the circumstances I had no other options." The court heard that Robinson believed he was restrained in his voicemail messages and used getting addresses as a play card rather than an intimidation tactic.

Robinson's testimony continues to be scrutinized by both prosecution and defense teams. His actions during this period have been described as using “bully-boy tactics” to intimidate the journalists, according to prosecutor Ben Holt. The trial is ongoing with further evidence expected from both sides.

Written for “Tommy Robinson Trial For Harassment” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.

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66/100

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BBC News · 5059 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected

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Who wrote this

Henry Godfrey-Evans

3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 I feel I will be looking over my shoulder for a long time."

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Robinson shared photos of reporter's family, court told

🔮 "I just thought it would be quite nice to basically post a letter for the future and I'm obviously quite delighted to see that someone had found it," she said.

2026-09-27 · assertive framing · Child's hidden letter found after 44 years

🔮 - Published A hike in parking costs at several hospitals will cause "additional stress" for pregnant patients, an antenatal expert said.

2026-07-31 · assertive framing · Hospital parking hike adds stress, patients say

Also by Henry Godfrey-Evans

Child's hidden letter found after 44 years

2026-09-27 · BBC News

Hospital parking hike adds stress, patients say

2026-07-31 · BBC News

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Bedfordshire Cyprus Southport Southwark Crown Court the Daily Mail

Subjects

Robinson PERSON · 9× Young PERSON · 6× Dirnhuber PERSON · 3× Holt PERSON · 2× Southport GPE · 2× Tommy Robinson PERSON · 2× Andrew Young PERSON · 1× Bedfordshire GPE · 1× Jacob Dirnhuber PERSON · 1× Stephen Yaxley-Lennon PERSON · 1×

Narrative

In a statement read to the court on Tuesday, Dirnhuber said: "It made me scared to go out in public, it made me scared to go to my own house, it made me feel guilty about how it had affected my loved ones. "Even now, when I step out my front door, I'm aware I'm at risk of a vigilante attack. "

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-20

🔮 I feel I will be looking over my shoulder for a long time."

2026-10-20 · BBC News

Robinson shared photos of reporter's family, court told · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 0 hedged)

- Published Political activist Tommy Robinson shared pictures of a journalist's family online and threatened to visit his home, a court has heard. asserted

court → publish → home

In July last year, the 43-year-old from Bedfordshire, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, pleaded not guilty to two counts of harassment causing fear of violence towards reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber. asserted

name → plead → Young

After three young girls were murdered in Southport in July 2024, Robinson posted on social media, which alerted the Daily Mail to the fact he was on holiday in Cyprus. asserted

he → murder → Cyprus

The paper published articles of him "on a sunbed". asserted

paper → publish → sunbed

Southwark Crown Court heard that photos of Young's wife and child were later shared to Robinson's social media followers. asserted

photos → hear → followers

Prosecutor Ben Holt said the trial was about Robinson's reaction to the articles, and accused him of using "bully-boy tactics" to "intimidate" the journalists. asserted

trial → say → journalists

In his statement read to the court, Young said someone who appeared to be a Robinson supporter leaked his home address on X. asserted

who → read → address

Later, a man who introduced himself as Robinson called him and became "increasingly menacing, swearing and shouting". asserted

who → introduce → him

Young added: "I believe he said the words 'I'm coming to get you'." asserted

I → add → you

The court heard that Young's family told him on 6 August about a grey Audi that had been parked outside earlier that day, with a man sitting inside. asserted

man → hear → Audi

Young said: "It was clear to me that Tommy Robinson was following through on his threats." In the days following the publication of the article, the court heard that two men in a car shouted at Young's daughter, and she believed they photographed her. asserted

they → say → her

He said Robinson's actions caused his family an "undue amount of stress". asserted

actions → say → stress

'Scared' Holt told the court that Dirnhuber, the other alleged victim, was scared to be in public after Robinson's alleged harassment. asserted

Dirnhuber → tell → harassment

The journalist's witness statement told of the unrest in the days following the Southport attack in 2024. asserted

statement → tell → 2024

He claimed there was public interest in covering the "far-right agitation" online from figures such as Robinson that had led to riots across the country. asserted

that → claim → country

Holt said that in August that year, Dirnhuber received a number of messages from Robinson and that eventually the journalist had to move house. asserted

journalist → say → house

I → read → attack

I feel vulnerable. asserted

I → feel → ?

I feel I will be looking over my shoulder for a long time." asserted

I → feel → time

The case continues. Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? asserted

you → continue → Beds