Tommy Robinson has told Sky News he does not care whether his message "incites fear" of Muslims as long as it "prevents children from getting raped".

The English Defence League founder spoke about being found guilty of contempt of court in May last year for trying to film and expressing views about suspects in a sexual grooming case in Canterbury.

He said: "If I believe I'm morally right then I'm not bothered about what your law says."

The right-wing activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, says he wanted to warn people about the men on trial in Canterbury because they were on bail and he believed still posed a threat.

He said: "I believe that forewarned is forearmed. All I wanted to do was get a video of their faces and I want every single child and parent who lives in that vicinity to know what those men were alleged to have done.


"The judge let down the British public. Those men should have been in a prison cell."

The moment Tommy Robinson was arrested

Challenged over whether he was attempting to demonise the Muslim community, he said: "To be honest with you, I don't care if it incites fear as long as it educates the children and prevents them from being raped."

Four men were later convicted for gang rape in Canterbury. However, Canterbury's top judge, Heather Norton, told Robinson: "This is not about free speech... not about the freedom of the press, nor about legitimate journalism, and not about political correctness.

"It is about justice and ensuring that a trial can be carried out justly and fairly. It's about being innocent until proven guilty.

"It is about preserving the integrity of the jury to continue without people being intimidated or being affected by irresponsible and inaccurate 'reporting', if that's what it was."

When during the interview it was explained to Robinson how his actions could have prejudiced the jury and got the case thrown out, he admitted: "At the time I wasn't aware of contempt of court laws or rules."

Image: Tommy Robinson, pictured arriving at the Old Bailey, says he 'wasn't aware of contempt of court laws or rules'

He says he has since received legal training.

The interview comes as he was cheered by hundreds of supporters outside the Old Bailey ahead of a fresh hearing into separate contempt of court claims over a trial in Leeds. That case was adjourned.

The right-wing activist was released from prison last month after three leading judges quashed a finding made at Leeds Crown Court in May, and granted him conditional bail from a 13-month jail sentence.

Robinson admitted that he'd asked his wife "Have you had enough yet?" when he was jailed in May 2018.

He added: "She just couldn't believe what had happened again. It's my children, I missed two of their birthdays."

He left HMP Onley in Rugby on 1 August, but could face being sent back to jail, with a maximum sentence of two years in prison, if the judge finds him in contempt over the Leeds case.