Tommy Robinson is due for release from prison after his sentence for the civil offence of contempt of court was reduced.
The far-right activist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months last October after he admitted to breaching a court order by screening a documentary which contained libellous claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy.
The sentence consisted of a 14-month ‘punitive’ element and a four-month ‘coercive’ element. Sentencing judge Mr Justice Johnson telling Robinson he could have the latter taken off his sentence if he were to ‘purge’ his contempt by taking steps to comply with the injunction, Sky News reports.
On Tuesday, Robinson applied to purge his contempt at a hearing, with his lawyers telling the court that he had shown a ‘commitment’ to comply with the order.
Lawyers for the Solicitor General said they agreed that Robinson, who had been scheduled for release on July 26, had taken steps to adhere to the injunction.
In a ruling, Mr Justice Johnson said although was an ‘absence of contrition or remorse’ from Robinson, he had shown a ‘change in attitude’ since he was sentenced.
He said: “He [Robinson] has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”
He continued: “I consider it appropriate to grant the application.”
He added: “The practical effect, subject to confirmation by the prison authorities, is that the defendant will be released once he has completed the punitive element, which I understand will be within the next week.”
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