Tommy Robinson is a bully, says judge as EDL founder loses bid to overturn stalking protection order after confronting Independent journalist at her London home
- English Defence League is a far-right, Islamophobic organisation set up in 2009
- Robinson, 40, was given a stalking protection order in 2021 after he turned up uninvited at the home of journalist Lizzie Dearden
English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was described as a ‘bully’ by a judge after he lost a bid to overturn a stalking protection order.
Robinson, 40, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was slapped with a stalking protection order after he turned up uninvited at the Independent’s home affairs editor, Lizzie Dearden’s London home.
The leader of the Islamophobic organisation accosted her at 9pm on January 17 2021 and demanded to speak to her about a negative story she planned to write on his use of donations.
Judge Gregory Perrins said: ‘It was, in our opinion, a calculated attempt to bully, intimidate and frighten Lizzie Dearden either as an act of revenge for the article she had written or in an attempt to prevent publication of that same article in the national press.’
English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was described as a ‘bully’ by a judge after he lost a bid to overturn a stalking protection order
The leader of the Islamophobic organisation accosted her at her address at 9pm on January 17 2021 and demanded to speak to her about a negative story she planned
After repeated attempts to get her to come outside, Robinson began spewing false accusations about her partner’s involvement in a paedophile ring and threatened to publish them online.
Video footage even caught him say he would come back every day if necessary.
In October 2021 he was handed the stalking protection order, which banned Robinson from contacting Ms Dearden and her partner or talking about them online.
Robinson appealed against at Southwark Crown Court but Judge Perrins and two magistrates upheld the order, which expires in October 2026.
Ms Dearden had told the court that the incident left her terrified.
She said she and her partner went into hiding and she even considered leaving her job at the Independent.
The judge did agree to modify the court order allowing Robinson to comment publicly on stories written about him by Ms Dearden.
But he warned Robinson to be ‘careful’ and not to incite his followers into stalking the journalist.
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