Tommy Robinson released from prison after sentence reduced

Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, has been released from prison.

The 42-year-old, jailed for contempt of court in October, left HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes after his 18-month sentence was reduced by the High Court.

Yaxley-Lennon was filmed speaking for about 20 minutes for a video posted to his social media account on X.

With longer hair, a bushy beard and wearing a rosary around his neck, he said he would organise a free-speech festival in London for his supporters later in the year.

He was jailed in October for multiple breaches of an injunction made in 2021 that barred him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel.

He was originally due to be released from prison on 26 July but the High Court ruled last week he could be released early.

The judge noted there was an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Yaxley-Lennon, but added: “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.”

In a separate case, the Bedfordshire resident is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 5 June accused of harassing two journalists.

He was charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence between 5 and 7 August 2024.

Yaxley-Lennon is also facing a trial in October 2026 over an accusation he failed to provide the pin for his mobile phone when stopped by Kent Police in Folkestone in July 2024.