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Prosecutors informed the court that law enforcement maintained valid concerns that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon's phone contained information relevant to terrorist activities when they stopped him in the previous year as he attempted to leave the UK.

Denial to Give Phone Password

The far-right activist, using his real name is Tommy Robinson, reportedly declined to hand over his password to police, claiming it included “journalistic material.” This occurred after he was stopped at the Eurotunnel on 28 July 2024.

Trial Arguments on Anti-Terror Authority

On the final day of the proceedings, prosecutor Jo Morris stated that the counter-terrorism powers employed by law enforcement are intended to allow intelligence gathering. She asserted that police had valid grounds to think Robinson still have links to far-right activists, even following the dissolution of the EDL organization.

While his membership of the English Defence League has come to an end, his views have not disappeared. He is recognized for having those views and therefore it is a valid concern to think that on his telephone there may be data pertaining to terrorist acts,” she informed Westminster magistrates court.

The prosecutor continued, “His beliefs – to which he is entitled – were not the focus for their attention on July 28. It was his association to individuals who are potentially involved in prohibited activities.”

Details of the Detention

The activist had turned up alone at the Channel tunnel in a silver Bentley owned by a friend and was on his way to the Spanish resort of Benidorm with more than £13,000 in a small bag, the court heard.

The money was reportedly from a donation drive to offset expenses from arranging a major rally that occurred the day before in Trafalgar Square.

Defense Arguments

Robinson, who denies failing to comply with anti-terror laws during the encounter on July 28 of the previous year, faces up to 90 days in jail or a potential £2,500 fine if convicted.

His barrister, Alisdair Williamson KC, argued in final arguments that counter-terrorism police who detained his client had engaged in a speculative search” and that he had been illegally held.

Citing evidence from officers who said they called “partner agencies” after detaining Robinson, the defense lawyer said this was a reference to the security services and that no evidence had been presented from the security service to suggest his client was a terrorist.

Williamson said the officers’ intervention was biased” because it was based to a “significant degree on a protected characteristic.” He stated that the main factor” on the choice to detain him was recognizing his identity”.

He added that officers had used an “extraordinary power that needs to be carefully regulated” to try to find out information that was already known. Williamson proposed that his client journeyed to Benidorm frequently, which should have lessened the police suspicions about him.

Legal Costs and Verdict Timing

Robinson claimed that his court expenses in the case were being covered by the tech billionaire, the owner of social media and electric car companies, who has emerged as an ally of the far-right activist and lately spoke at a gathering arranged by him in London via a online broadcast.

A suggested day of the following Tuesday for the decision was altered by the district judge, Sam Goozee, after the defense explained his client was scheduled to be a guest of the Israel's administration from the midweek and would not come back until 25 October.

{“I wouldn’t trouble you if this was a trip to Benidorm. I would ask him to rearrange it but he is a guest of a foreign government,” stated the barrister.

The judge announced he would hand down his verdict on the morning of 4 November.