English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson due for early release after U.K. judge’s decision

Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the far-right EDL "English Defence League" group arrives for an appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Oct. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON — The U.K. High Court in London on Tuesday reduced the prison sentence of the far-right English Defence League’s founder, and he could be released in the coming days.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October for violating a court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee.

However, his lawyers told the court that he had since shown a “commitment” to comply with the order, and as a result, Justice Jeremy Johnson granted the application to have the sentence reduced, which means he could be released on parole within the next week.

Yaxley-Lennon had shown a “change in attitude” since he was sentenced, Johnson said, while noting the “absence of contrition or remorse.”

“He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again,” the judge said.

Yaxley-Lennon, 42, who attended the hearing by videoconference from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, showed no immediate reaction once the judgment was handed down.

He had admitted in court last October that he was in contempt of court for violating a 2021 injunction by giving interviews in a podcast and shown on YouTube, and in a documentary he presented during a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square that was also posted on his X account and widely viewed.

He had been ordered not to repeat false allegations that he made in 2018 that a teen, Jamal Hijazi, was a violent thug who bullied and threatened other students at a school in West Yorkshire in northern England.

Videos he made about Hijazi led to abuse being directed at the boy. He dropped out of school and his family had to leave their home.

Hijazi successfully sued for libel in London’s High Court in July 2021 and was awarded 100,000 British pounds ($130,000) in damages and his court costs.

In the past, Yaxley-Lennon has been jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and contempt of court. He founded the nationalist street protest group EDL in 2009. Even after the group faded from view around 2013, he remained one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain and can still draw large crowds to the streets.

The Associated Press