Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was wrongly stopped driving his Bentley at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, his lawyer told a court, saying counter-terrorism officers used their powers unfairly.
The 42-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is on trial at Westminster Magistrates Court for refusing to hand over his mobile phone pin number to a police officer during a traffic stop. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Joe Morris said the stop may not have been “perfect” but that didn’t mean it was illegal.
After closing arguments, the court’s decision was adjourned until November 4.
If found guilty, Mr Lennon could be jailed for up to three months or fined £2,500.
He was stopped by police using counter-terrorism powers on July 28, 2024, as he was driving a silver Bentley Bentayga into the Channel Tunnel.
Kent Police officers said this was partly because the suspect was driving someone else’s car and had not booked a ticket in advance.
They said they became more suspicious because Lennon refused to make eye contact with them and insisted he was driving to Benidorm. When asked for his mobile phone PIN, he refused.
Anyone detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act is legally required to provide a password or PIN for their electronic device.
In his final submission to the judge on Tuesday, John Lennon’s barrister Alisdair Williamson KC said: “My question to you is: Is this a lawful suspension? If not, you cannot convict Mr Lennon.”
Mr Williamson said the powers held by police officers at ports and airports were “extraordinary” and required “intense oversight”, saying they were the only power to “compel people to answer questions under pain of criminal punishment”.
He described Mr Lennon as a “public figure” whose views were “well known” and asked what was the justification for police’s use of “coercive force”.
“What were they going to discover that wasn’t in the public domain?” Williamson asked.
He pointed out that the officers did not ask any further questions after Mr Lennon said the Bentley belonged to a “friend” and that his client regularly visited Benidorm.
“We acknowledge that the stop may not have been perfect, but that does not make it illegal,” prosecutor Joe Morris said in his closing speech.
She said there was “no real dispute over the facts” and that Mr Lennon had been warned of the consequences and had received legal advice, but still refused to hand over his pin number to officers.
Before the hearing began on Monday, Lennon, the former leader of the English Defense League (EDL), said on the X show that social media platform billionaire Elon Musk, who has defended him in the past, had “filed a case” against him for what Lennon called “state persecution”.
Mr. Musk has not officially acknowledged this.
