29 July 2024 , 21:47
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Tommy Robinson fled the UK hours after being bailed ahead of a hearing for a High Court case against him, judges have been told.
Robinson was released on unconditional bail following his arrest over the weekend – but failed to appear at the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday.
The far-right activist is accused of breaching the terms of a 2021 court order imposed when he was successfully sued by Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi for making false claims about him.
He was ordered to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 and, as is standard practice in such cases, barred from repeating the allegations – but a ‘dossier of evidence’ allegedly shows he did so anyway.
Port police arrested him on Saturday for allegedly failing to cooperate with a stop-and-search at the Channel tunnel in Folkestone, Kent.
He was detained under counter-terror laws which allow police generally to carry out such checks at ports, airports and rail terminals.
According to The Guardian, the court was told Robinson was bailed at 10pm and then left the UK by Eurostar train.
Earlier in the day he had allegedly screened a documentary, against court orders, at a rally in central London.
The film, Silenced, reportedly repeats the false claims which Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, made about Mr Hijazi.
Adam Payter, a lawyer representing the Solicitor General, who is bringing the case against Robinson said: ‘We understand he failed to co-operate with a port stop and search.
‘The implication is he was attempting to leave the country and therefore was not intending to attend this hearing this morning.’
Mr Payter claimed Robinson had been abroad before the protest, returned ‘with the purpose of publishing the film’ and left again ‘to put himself beyond the reach of this court’s jurisdiction’.
Campaign group Hope not Hate says it has provided a ‘wealth of information’ showing Robinson was ‘instrumental in the film’s release’.
The High Court in June warned Robinson he could face jail if he failed to turn up to Monday’s hearing.
It stated: ‘If you do not attend the hearing, the court may proceed in your absence. Whether or not you attend, the court will only find you in contempt if satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of the facts constituting contempt and that they do constitute contempt.
‘If the court is satisfied that you have committed a contempt, the court may punish you by a fine, imprisonment, confiscation of assets or other punishment permitted under the law.’