Citizen journalist and anti-grooming gangs activist Tommy Robinson, serving a draconian 18-month sentence for contempt of court due to breaching a prior injunction in a civil case, has been relocated to a “closed wing” within the British prison holding him amid reported threats to his life. Legal representatives for Robinson argued on Thursday that his lengthy isolation is contributing to a decline in his mental health. They are seeking a legal challenge to alter his conditions of confinement.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) opposes this move, arguing that Robinson’s segregation is necessary due to credible threats from other inmates. Tom Cross, representing the MOJ, stated that initial threats emerged after Robinson was transferred to His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Woodhill from HMP Belmarsh. “HMP Woodhill received several intelligence reports showing a non-speculative risk to the claimant, including that two other prisoners at HMP Woodhill were plotting to assault the claimant to gain kudos and notoriety, and that the claimant had a ‘mark on his head’ and would be killed by a lifer if located on a wing,” Cross said.
It appears the MOJ is not countenancing the alternative solution of subjecting Robinson to house arrest or some other less stringent punishment for his non-violent offense—namely, defending allegations he made against a Syrian migrant that were deemed libelous in a civil case.
Robinson’s legal team argues that the isolation is detrimentally affecting his mental health and suggests a transfer to a different facility that does not have a “significant Muslim population” like HMP Woodhill.
Robinson, appearing via video link, said, “solitary confinement is destroying my mind,” adding: “I am terrified of the long-term consequences of the continued solitary confinement. I feel I am being provoked to react. I want to leave prison mentally well, not mentally broken.”
