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The founder of the English Defence League has been sent to Hull Prison after he filmed outside court, which had the potential to cause a major trial to collapse, it can now be reported.

Tommy Robinson streamed an hour-long Facebook Live outside Leeds Crown Court last Friday. Within hours, it had been watched more than 250,000 times.

A judge who locked up Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, told the far-right activist it could have caused the trial to be retried and cost tax payers “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds”.

He will serve his sentence in HM Hull Prison.

At the time of the Facebook Live, jurors were in the process of considering verdicts after hearing six weeks’ of evidence.

A court order is currently in place temporarily banning any reporting on the trial, including its status as ongoing, so the press will not be able to reveal details until later this year.

Restrictions made - but now Robinson's case can be revealed

And a court order had also been in place temporarily banning any reporting on Robinson's arrest and sentencing hearing, but Hull Live can now reveal the details.

A court order temporarily banned any mention of Robinson's court proceedings but our colleagues at LeedsLive challenged the order and today (Tuesday) the judge agreed to lift the reporting restriction in regards to Robinson's case.

Robinson filmed himself as he read out the defendants' names and the charges they face - some of which were wrong - and confronted them as they arrived at court.

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Eventually, the 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was held in the court cells before being taken up to the courtroom to face the trial judge.

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

The video footage was played to Judge Geoffrey Marson QC as Robinson sat in the dock.

The judge said: “He referred to the charges that the defendants faced and some charges which are not proceeded against in relation to some defendants.”

Robinson, whose criminal record dates back to 2005, has a previous conviction for contempt of court.

He was the subject of a suspended prison sentence, imposed at Canterbury Crown Court, after he filmed in court.

He also has convictions for disobeying a court order, possessing identity documents with intent, fraud, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing drugs and threatening behaviour.

'He did not try to cause difficulties for the court'

He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and breach of a suspended sentence.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said his client felt "deep regret" after realising the potential consequences of his actions.

He said Robinson was aware of the reporting restriction in place in the case but thought what he was saying on camera was already in the public domain.

The barrister added: "He was mindful, having spoken to others and taken advice, not to say things that he thought would actually prejudice these proceedings.

"He did not try to cause difficulties for the court process."

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Mr Harding said Robinson had been the victim of assaults while serving time in prison before and there had been "a price on his head" during his last prison term with inmates being offered the reward of drugs and mobile phones to kill him.

But the judge said: “No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial.

'A retrial could cost hundreds and thousands of pounds'

“I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

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“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done.

“If the jurors in my present trial get to know of this video I will no doubt be faced with an application to discharge the jury.

“If I have to do that it will mean a re-trial, costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds.”

A re-trial would also mean witnesses in the case would have to face the ordeal of giving evidence again before a jury.

'People have to understand breaching court orders have real consequences'

The judge added: “You have to understand we are not preventing publication. We are postponing publication to ensure that the trial is fair.

“When people are convicted and given long sentences, it is on a proper basis and not a conviction that can be overturned.

“It is a serious feature that you were encouraging others to share what you were streaming live on social media.”

Jailing the married father-of-three, the judge said: “People have to understand that if they breach court orders there will be very real consequences.”

Tommy Robinson address Leeds Crown Court has advised the media that the address given by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon during his hearing on Friday May 25 was an old address. His current address - which we would publish as part of court proceedings - was not given to the court. We have chosen to remove the incorrect address with the current occupants of that property in mind. To be clear, it is the responsibility of the defendant - in this case Mr Yaxley-Lennon - to ensure information given in a court hearing is accurate. The media can only report the address given in open court and we have been informed that we were not at fault.

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