PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Tommy Robinson’s 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court has been reduced by four months by the English High Court.
👥 Who’s Involved: Tommy Robinson, Justice Johnson, Jamal Hijazi, the Ministry of Justice, and Robinson’s legal team.
📍 Where & When: High Court ruling on Tuesday; Robinson is currently held at His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Woodhill, Milton Keynes.
💬 Key Quote: The Ministry of Justice stated Robinson “had a ‘mark on his head’ and would be killed by a lifer if located on a wing.”
⚠️ Impact: Robinson is expected to be released within a week.
IN FULL:
Anti-grooming gangs activist Tommy Robinson is expected to be released from prison in the coming week after the High Court reduced his 18-month sentence for contempt of court by four months. The decision was made during an appeal hearing on Tuesday, where Robinson sought to “purge” the final four months of his sentence.
Robinson had been sentenced in October for breaches of a 2021 injunction that prohibited him from defending allegations he made against Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian migrant, who previously won a libel case against him. Despite the libel case having been a civil matter, the Attorney General’s Office went out of its way to bring a prosecution for criminal contempt when Robinson produced a documentary defending his allegations against Hijazi. The judge in the case ultimately handed down a prison term longer than most pedophiles receive.
Justice Johnson, who presided over the original sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court, described the 18-month term as comprising a 14-month “punitive” portion and a four-month “coercive” portion. The High Court has now removed the latter.
Since his imprisonment, Robinson has faced challenges, including a deterioration of his mental health in isolation.
According to Ministry of Justice barristers, Robinson had “a ‘mark on his head'” and faced potential harm from other prisoners seeking “kudos and notoriety.” They said that at least two inmates were known to be plotting an assault against him.
Robinson remains incarcerated at His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Woodhill in Milton Keynes as of the time of publication, but is now set for release in the coming days.