Connect with us

Published

on

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has admitted contempt of court after he repeated false allegations about a Syrian refugee schoolboy.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, admitted at Woolwich Crown Court to breaching an injunction made after he was successfully sued for libel in 2021.

Those who commit contempt of court can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

A High Court order in 2021 had barred Robinson from repeating libellous allegations against Jamal Hijazi who had successfully sued him for libel.

The Solicitor General issued two contempt claims against Robinson earlier this year, claiming he “knowingly” breached the order on multiple occasions.

Robinson, who founded the far-right English Defence League, appeared in the dock today after being remanded in custody on Friday, wearing a grey suit and waistcoat with no tie.

People outside Woolwich Crown Court.
Pic: PA
Image:
People outside Woolwich Crown Court as Tommy Robinson admits contempt of court. Pic: PA

At the start of a hearing, Aidan Eardley KC, for the Solicitor General, said a “resolution” had been reached over the allegations, and read them out to the court.

More on Tommy Robinson

When asked by Mr Justice Johnson whether he accepted he had committed the breaches, Robinson nodded and then replied “yes”.

Lawyers previously told a judge that the breaches included Robinson having “published, caused, authorised or procured” a film titled Silenced, which contained the libellous allegations, in May last year.

The film remains pinned to the top of Robinson’s profile on social media site X, while he also repeated the claims in three interviews between February and June 2023.

What was the initial libel case about?

Mr Hijazi was filmed being attacked at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.

The clip went viral before Robinson claimed in two Facebook videos that the boy was “not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school”.

The boy’s lawyers said the comments had “a devastating effect” on him and his family, who had come to the UK as refugees, forcing them to move home and abandon his education.

Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 in damages and his legal costs, as well as making the injunction preventing Robinson from repeating the allegations he made against the then-teenager.

Read more:
Should the English Defence League be banned?
Arrest warrant issued for Robinson after ‘he leaves UK’
Robinson charged after arrest at antisemitism march

Far right pro-UK rally protesters endorsed by Tommy Robinson, demonstrate behind a police line in London on Saturday. Pic: AP
Image:
Far right pro-UK rally protesters endorsed by Tommy Robinson, demonstrate behind a police line in London on Saturday. Pic: AP

Robinson in custody over weekend

The far-right activist has admitted contempt of court days after he handed himself in at a police station in Folkestone, Kent, on Friday in a separate case.

He was charged with one count of failing to provide the PIN to his mobile phone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Robinson, who had been due to lead a rally in London on Saturday, was remanded in custody.

Thousands of his supporters gathered in central London for the demonstrate over the weekend despite his absence.

Demonstrators carried placards reading “Two tier Keir fuelled the riots” and chanted “We want Tommy out” as they headed from Victoria station to Parliament Square.

Continue Reading

UK

Inside the cannabis farms being set up in rented homes

Published

on

By

Inside the cannabis farms being set up in rented homes

Organised criminal gangs are increasingly using rented houses and flats to operate illegal cannabis farms – and police say it is putting the lives of innocent neighbours at risk.

The gangs often use crude methods to bypass electricity meters to avoid paying for the high levels of energy the farms require, creating an increased fire risk.

Rival gangs also carry out raids on each other’s farms – a practice known as ‘taxing’ – carrying out “significant violence” to anyone who gets in their way, police say.

Greater Manchester Police detected 402 cannabis farms between May 2024 and April 2025, and Sky News was given access to an operation by its officers at a semi-detached house in a quiet suburban street in Wythenshawe.

Inside, officers found one room full of cannabis plants and another ‘drying room’ with the drug packaged up and ready to be distributed. The street value was estimated in the tens of thousands of pounds.

Cannabis farm
Image:
This home on a quiet street was filled with cannabis plants

Cannabis farm Milam package

Outside, officers found evidence that the electricity meter had been bypassed. ‘Abstracting’ is the offence of dishonestly using, wasting or diverting electricity. One person inside the property was arrested.

“The electricity gets bypassed in order to avoid big electric bills,” Inspector Bree Lanyon said.

More on Cannabis

“Because a substantial amount of electric is required to run the lights, the ventilation, the heat, everything else that’s required in the cannabis farm, the abstract is done in a haphazard way and it can cause fires within the properties.”

Cannabis
Image:
Officers found bags of the drug ready to be distributed

She continued: “We’ve seen a lot of fires recently in premises that have been set up as cannabis farms, because of the way the electricity is set up. It’s not safe and the neighbouring residence could be at risk if that property is burning down.”

The risks posed by cannabis farms were highlighted by the death of seven-year-old Archie York in 2024. He was killed when chemicals being used in a cannabis factory caused an explosion in the family’s block of flats. The drug dealer responsible was jailed for 14 years.

Archie York still from Greg Milam package
Image:
Archie York

Archie York aftermath
Image:
The aftermath of the explosion which killed the seven-year-old

Police say gangs employ low-level operatives, known as gardeners, to manage and protect farms, who will often plead guilty to drug offences and accept the punishment to keep police off the trail of those controlling the operation.

The use of rented properties – sometimes through rogue landlords – also makes detection more difficult.

Read more:
The ins and outs of UK cannabis law
What are cannabis stickers?

“The vast majority are organised crime gangs,” said Detective Inspector Paul Crompton, from GMP’s serious and organised crime group. “It infuriates me when we take action against these farms and people say ‘It’s only cannabis’.

“What we see with cannabis farms is that rival organised crime groups will actively target those and break in and take the products by force. You’ve got a risk of potentially people being kidnapped or killed without us knowing anything about them.

“Make no bones about it, there’s massive amounts of money to make and they would rather just go and take that cannabis and sell it for themselves. They’ll do significant, violence against anybody that gets in the way, whether that’s the gardener, the police or residents who might get in the way.”

 Cannabis farms Milam
Image:
Police check an electricity meter for evidence of ‘abstracting’

Police say landlords need to be aware of the risks and even the chief executive of the British Landlords Association has fallen victim.

One of Sajjar Ahmad’s properties was badly damaged by those using it for an illegal cannabis farm. “I can only explain it as horrific,” he said.

“Our members, when they’ve experienced the problem with the cannabis farm, they are shocked. They didn’t know it could happen. They are not aware of the telltale signs.

“They have the same regrets as what I experienced – you need to carry out regular inspections and, if somebody is offering you a larger rent, then you should question that.”

Continue Reading

UK

Personal trainer jailed over ‘first date’ chase that ended in crash involving five police cars

Published

on

By

Personal trainer jailed over 'first date' chase that ended in crash involving five police cars

A personal trainer who admitted dangerous driving on a first date that ended in a police car pile-up has been sentenced to one year and two months in a young offenders’ institution.

Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, was taking a woman home in the early hours of 9 April when his driving triggered a car chase and eventual crash involving five police cars.

Mazyar Azarbonyad. Pic: Northumbria Police
Image:
Mazyar Azarbonyad. Pic: Northumbria Police

Seven officers ended up in hospital, and one of their cars had its roof torn off in the dramatic collision that left debris strewn across the A1 near Newcastle.

Northumbria Police said while three officers have been able to return to duty, four remain off work.

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

At Newcastle Crown Court in April, Azarbonyad admitted a series of driving offences, including driving without insurance several times after the crash, and failing to stop.

Northumbria Police said officers attempted to stop his powerful BMW in the Whickham area of Gateshead due to its speed and defective headlight.

After being instructed to pull over, Azarbonyad initially stopped before fleeing as the officer approached his vehicle.

More from UK

The scene on the A1, which has been shut in both directions on Tyneside.
Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

The scene on the A1, which has been shut in both directions on Tyneside.
Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

The car was later spotted on Whickham Front Street where it again made off from police and drove at excessive speeds through residential streets.

Specialist officers from the force’s road policing unit were sent to the area, and at 2.25am got behind the car where it reached speeds in excess of 120mph.

Just two minutes later the collision occurred near the Denton Interchange exit in Newcastle.

Azarbonyad and his female passenger were both uninjured.

The woman, aged in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving but was later told she would face no further action. She later received a caution for drug possession.

Mazyar Azarbonyad arrives at Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing over a multiple vehicle crash which injured seven police officers followin
Image:
Azarbonyad arriving at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday. Pic: PA

Azarbonyad was arrested at the scene and later released on bail with strict conditions including an interim driving ban.

Days later, officers received information that he was driving a red Hyundai i10 from his County Durham home to work in Newcastle city centre.

He was arrested on a garage forecourt in Stanley on 16 April after being caught filling up the vehicle.

Appearing before magistrates the following day, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, two counts of failing to stop a motor vehicle when required by a constable, six counts of no insurance use, and six counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Mazyar Azarbonyad.
Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Defending, solicitor Jack Lovell had told the court the defendant, of Stanley, had shown genuine remorse for his actions.

Returning to Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, Azarbonyad was sentenced to one year and two months in a young offenders’ institution.

He was also disqualified from driving for three years and seven months. If Azarbonyad wishes to get behind the wheel again, he must also sit an extended re-test.

Five-vehicle crash involving police vehicles shuts down A1
Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Following the court case, Superintendent Billy Mulligan said: “It is sheer luck that Mazyar Azarbonyad did not kill anyone that day with his reckless actions.

“What should have been a simple stop turned into him driving incredibly dangerously in a bid to get away from officers.

“He showed absolutely zero regard for the safety of anyone else that morning, and his decision-making behind the wheel put lives at risk.”

Superintendent Mulligan praised the bravery of the officers involved in the pursuit and subsequent collision.

He added: “While three officers have been able to return to duty, four of our colleagues remain off work – and I wish them all the best in their recovery.

“They were simply doing their job, protecting the public from the actions of someone who was not even qualified or insured to drive.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to this type of behaviour, and we are committed to bringing offenders to justice and ensuring our roads are as safe as possible.”

Continue Reading

UK

Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London

Published

on

By

Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London

A man has been found guilty of an offence after burning a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London, in a case that sparked debate over the freedom of expression.

Hamit Coskun was accused of shouting “f*** Islam” and “Islam is religion of terrorism” as he held up a burning copy of the holy Islamic text in Knightsbridge, London, in February.

He was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence.

Delivering the verdict, district judge McGarva said: “Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.”

The 50-year-old denied using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, motivated by “hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam”, contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986.

He had also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, contrary to section five of the Public Order Act 1986.

The charges were alternative, meaning only one or the other would apply, but not both.

Prosecutors said Coskun had written on social media he was protesting the “Islamist government” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had “made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime”.

Mr Erdogan, who has been in power for over 20 years, leads the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which, while created from former Islamist movements and having a strong religious base, describes itself as a conservative-democratic party and has strongly denied being Islamist.

Barrister Katy Thorne KC, defending, last week argued the prosecution was effectively trying to revive blasphemy laws, which were abolished in England and Wales in 2008 and Scotland in 2021.

Coskun, who has both Kurdish and Armenian heritage but was born in Turkey, travelled from his home in the Midlands and set fire to the Koran on the afternoon of 13 February, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard last week.

Footage aired in court showed another man confronting Coskun, allegedly holding a knife and saying: “It’s my religion, you don’t burn the Koran.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Trending