// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Trial hears Robinson 'intimidated' Daily Mail reporters
Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, arrives at Southwark Crown Court for his five-day trial
Political activist Tommy Robinson used "bully-boy, intimidatory tactics" to frighten two Daily Mail journalists, forcing them to employ security or leave home, a court has heard.
The 43-year-old from Bedfordshire, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence towards reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Ben Holt said the case was about Yaxley-Lennon's reaction to what he perceived to be "an unnecessary intrusion into his holiday" in the aftermath of the 2024 Southport attacks.
Robinson, who founded the English Defence League, entered not guilty pleas to the charges in July last year.
Holt said Dirnhuber had to move house because of the alleged harassment, while Young was given a close protection officer by the Daily Mail after photographs of his wife and children were posted on Robinson's X account.
The judge at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Cavanagh, told the jury: "This is not a trial about or an assessment of the defendant's political views."
Ben Holt, for the prosecution, described Yaxley-Lennon as a "well-known public figure" with a "large, vocal online following" that now included more than two million followers on social media website X.
Robinson posted on X before the trial began to thank the social media platform's owner Elon Musk for funding his case – and said his court fees to date had cost him £400,000.
The trial at Southwark Crown Court concerns Yaxley-Lennon's response to articles published by the Daily Mail and MailOnline