Tommy Robinson case: EDL founder denies encouraging violence in contempt hearing as supporters heckle and jeer outside
Updates from the Old Bailey
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Tommy Robinson denied encouraging violence against defendants in a grooming trial when he gave evidence during contempt of court proceedings.
The 36-year-old former leader of the English Defence League is accused of breaching reporting restrictions by livestreaming a video on Facebook while the jury in that case was considering its verdicts.
He was arrested while still filming and was jailed for 13 months in May 2018, only to be freed on appeal because the hearing was "fundamentally flawed".
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared at the Old Bailey for a new contempt hearing following an application by attorney general Geoffrey Cox.
Outside court around 200 supporters gathered around a makeshift stage in front of a double-decker bus, chanting his name and shouting "shame, shame" at journalists. The case is due to finish on Friday.
Follow updates from court as they happened in our liveblog below
His video involved reading out a list of defendants and the charges. At this point one of the names was no longer part of the trial.
He then gave a running commentary on the issues.
Yaxley-Lennon was arrested shortly after 10am and committed by the trial judge and sentenced to 13 months imprisonment.
One reason why the appeal was allowed was because this hearing was rushed, says Mr Caldecott.
Robinson claimed did not intend to impede justice or act disrespectfully, and was reading from an article he had found on the Huddersfield Examiner newspaper relating to an earlier hearing in the case.
Following the appeal, the matter was referred to the Recorder of London at the Old Bailey.
Robinson made an affidavit stating that he took steps to check on reporting restrictions - by looking at the TV screens at court, the door of the court, the court website and a reporting restrictions guide.
"Those assertions are all contested," says Mr Caldecott, for the attorney general, who claims there were "inconsistencies" between Robinson's various accounts.
"Going into the trial I had heard there was a reporting restriction but I was under the impression the trial had now finished and we were just waiting for the jury verdict," he claimed.
He said he tried to check whether there was a restriction but there was no mention on the door or on the screens in front of the court.
The primary case is that Mr Yaxley-Lennon knew full well there was a reporting restriction in force," says Mr Caldecott. "It was a wholly unreasonable risk to speculate what the terms were or might be."
"Secondly, even if he did not know there was an order in force, he knew that such an order was likely, and was again subjectively reckless."
Parts of the video are now being played, showing Robinson confronting a defendant outside Leeds Crown Court and asking him about verdicts.
"Doesn't seem like much guilt there," he tells the camera after the defendant has gone inside.
Another section shows him confronting another man, who tells Robinson: "Your wife's a prostitute".