Oh Tommy Tommy - SUMMONED

While he tucks in to another feed down the local Toby Carvery - there has to be one restaurant chain that hasn’t barred him - Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, wants his fans to know he hasn’t a care in the world. But that’s not true, and last Friday came the inevitable news following his court no-show recently.

As Zelo Street noted at the time, Lennon’s absence was referred to the High Court, where Mr Justice Nicklin presided. The resulting sealed order begins with a section marked in red which begins “You failed to attend an Examination Hearing on 22 March 2022 as previously ordered by the Court. By Order dated 22 March 2022, your failure to attend has been referred to the Judge named above … on the grounds that the failure to attend amounts to a contempt of Court”. Another contempt of court. And there was more.

“The Court has fixed a hearing on FRIDAY 6 MAY 2022, at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, LONDON WC2A 2LL and issued the attached Summons … requiring you to attend the hearing. YOU MUST ATTEND THIS HEARING. If you fail to do so, a warrant for your arrest may be issued by the Court. DO NOT IGNORE THESE PROCEEDINGS”.

The order spells out what will happen next month. “There will be a hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin on Friday 6 May 2022 at which the Court will give directions in proceedings for contempt of court against the Defendant (‘the Directions Hearing’) …The Defendant is ordered to attend the Directions Hearing. The attached Summons has been issued … to secure the Defendant’s attendance at the Directions Hearing”. And the reasoning?

“The Defendant’s failure to attend the Examination Hearing on 22 March 2022 has been referred to me as a potential contempt of court … I consider that a prima facie case of contempt of court is made out and so I have issued the attached Summons … requiring the Defendant to attend Court on 6 May 2022”. Open. Shut. End of story.

There is no get-out clause, no wriggle room, no chance for Lennon to pretend that he told the court he couldn’t come, and so that makes it all OK. He has to turn up. Failing that, the next step is the issue of an arrest warrant, which means he won’t even be able to enjoy a session at the Toby Carvery without the cops barging in and causing a fracas.

Added to that is the recent case of former tennis star Boris Becker being hauled before the courts to answer allegations of concealing assets during bankruptcy, and the news that anyone found guilty of such actions could find themselves facing a stretch measured not in months, but years. Lennon is suspected of doing just that. So what does he do?

He can turn up and admit his contempt of court. That would be the sensible thing to do. But Lennon has shunned the court once. He gives every appearance of not wanting to face all those inconvenient questions about his assets. Were I a betting man, I might have a few notes on him skipping the country, and not necessarily on his own passport.

But here a problem enters: Lennon might think that, post-Brexit, he’s in the clear once he gets across the Channel. But the long arm of the law will reach out and grab him wherever he hides. His desire for self-publicity means he won’t remain anonymous for long.

The courts have Stephen Lennon not just in check, but check mate. End of story.

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