A journalist has told a court he feared a "vigilante attack" after receiving messages from Tommy Robinson's X account, prompting him to leave his home with his partner and dog.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is on trial for allegedly harassing journalists Jacob Dirnhuber and Andrew Young, causing them to worry for their safety in August 2024, after they worked on a story about him while he was on holiday in Cyprus.
Journalist's evidence
Mr Dirnhuber, an editor at the Daily Mail, told Southwark Crown Court how he, along with his partner and their dog, decided to leave their home after Robinson's X account shared images of him and allegedly messaged him photographs of an unknown woman.
The court was told that on the evening of August 6, 2024, Mr Dirnhuber received direct messages via X from Robinson's X account, which said: "Your bosses need to contact me, Jacob."
In a witness statement read out in court by prosecutor Ben Holt, Mr Dirnhuber said: "Attached to this message was an image of a woman by an open window." He added: "I do not know who the woman in the image is, or where the image was taken."
Impact on safety
Later that evening, the journalist took the decision to stay in a hotel. "Nothing quite like this has ever happened to me," his statement continued. "To my knowledge, I have never been tracked down to an address."
On the impact of what happened he said: "It made me scared to go out in public, it made me scared to go to my own house, it made me feel guilty about how it had affected my loved ones. Even now, when I step out my front door, I'm aware I'm at risk of a vigilante attack."
Mr Dirnhuber claimed he felt he would be looking over his shoulder "for a long time" saying: "I have the knowledge that Tommy Robinson knows my address and my last name is very identifiable. I feel vulnerable. I feel I will be looking over my shoulder for a long time."
Allegations and plea
The court previously heard Robinson used "bully-boy, intimidatory tactics" to frighten the journalists with a series of posts and direct messages on social media platform X.
Robinson, 43, who founded the English Defence League, entered not guilty pleas to two charges of harassment causing fear of violence in July last year.
The court heard the activist told police his hotel in Cyprus was "overrun with news crews" following stories published in the Daily Mail and MailOnline.
He is accused of harassing the journalists through X posts and direct messages, and an alleged telephone call on August 5, 2024, in which he is accused of telling Mr Young he would visit his house, saying: "I'm coming to get you."
The trial, expected to last five days, continues.
