Tommy Robinson found guilty of harassing two journalists

Tommy Robinson has been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of harassing two Daily Mail journalists. After the verdict was delivered at Southwark Crown Court, supporters in the public gallery could be heard letting out sighs of disappointment. Prosecutors said the right-wing activist "weaponised social media". Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: "Stephen Lennon weaponised social media and subjected two journalists to a campaign of harassment which caused them serious fear of violence. "The evidence in this case showed that he targeted the victims directly and indirectly through social media and by telephone. "He also published images relating not only to them, but also their families. "The jury heard from the victims and witnesses in this case, ultimately deciding that this behaviour crossed the line into criminality." He added: "Nobody should be made to fear violence because of the work they do. "Journalists play an important role in a democratic society and should be able to carry out their professional duties without being subjected to harassment. "We will always seek to work with the police to prosecute those who break the law and I hope these convictions provide reassurance that such behaviour will be treated seriously by the criminal justice system." Robinson, who gave his name in court as Stephen Lennon, was wearing a navy suit, with what appeared to be American flags on the back of his waistcoat. He sat down and shook his head quietly as the judge delivered the verdict, which jurors deliberated for 11 hours and 25 minutes. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Robinson, who founded the English Defence League, entered not guilty pleas in July last year to two charges of harassment causing fear of violence. The 43-year-old was found guilty of harassing freelance journalist Andrew Young and Daily Mail editor Jacob Dirnhuber in August 2024. Mr Justice Cavanagh told jurors on Wednesday he would accept a verdict on which 11 or 10 of them agree. Earlier in the trial, Robinson was seen weeping in court during proceedings. He told the court he did not want to hurt the families of the journalists. Explaining he wanted to "put pressure on them", he told jurors: "I wanted to find the journalists." A Met Police spokesperson said: "There are legitimate and established routes that can be pursued by people who have concerns or complaints about their treatment by the media. "In this case, Lennon chose not to follow any of these and, instead, issued various threatening online posts in the knowledge that they would almost certainly lead to his followers to target and intimidate those journalists, which is exactly what happened. "This left them fearing for their own safety and that of their families – so much so that they felt compelled to take significant safety precautions including leaving their homes and hiring private security personnel. "This kind of intimidatory behaviour is not acceptable, and anyone behaving in such a way to intimidate, harass and threaten others either online or in the real world can expect to be investigated and brought before the courts as was the case here." Follow related topics: