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Legal representatives told the court that law enforcement had valid concerns indicating Stephen Yaxley-Lennon's phone contained information relevant to terrorist activities when they detained him in the previous year as he attempted to leave the UK.

Refusal to Provide Device Password

The far-right activist, using his real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, allegedly refused to hand over his phone pin to police, stating it contained “journalistic material.” This occurred after he was stopped at the Channel tunnel on 28 July 2024.

Prosecution Arguments on Counter-Terrorism Authority

On the final day of the trial, state lawyer the prosecution argued that the counter-terrorism powers employed by police are designed to permit intelligence gathering. She asserted that officers had valid grounds to think Robinson still have links to right-wing groups, even following the disbandment of the EDL organization.

While his membership of the English Defence League has come to an end, his views have not gone away. He is known for having those opinions and therefore it is a valid concern to think that on his telephone there may be information relevant to terrorist acts,” she told Westminster magistrates court.

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

Circumstances of the Detention

The campaigner had turned up by himself at the Eurotunnel in a luxury vehicle belonging to a acquaintance and was on his way to the Spanish resort of the Spanish coast with over £13,000 in a carry-on, the trial was told.

The funds was said to have been from a collection to offset expenses from organizing a major rally that occurred the day before in a London landmark.

Legal Team Submissions

Robinson, who denies failing to comply with anti-terror laws during the encounter on 28 July last year, could receive up to three months in jail or a potential £2,500 penalty if found guilty.

His barrister, defense counsel, said in final arguments that anti-terror officers who stopped Robinson had engaged in a “fishing expedition” and that he had been illegally held.

Citing testimony from officers who said they called “partner agencies” after arresting him, the defense lawyer claimed this was a reference to the intelligence agencies and that no evidence had been offered from MI5 to suggest his client was a terrorist.

He asserted the officers’ intervention was biased” because it was based to a “significant degree on a personal attribute.” He stated that the main factor” on the decision to detain him was recognizing his identity”.

He added that police had used an “extraordinary power that needs to be properly policed” to try to discover details that was previously available. The barrister suggested that Robinson journeyed to Benidorm frequently, which ought to have reduced the police suspicions about him.

Expenses and Verdict Date

The activist claimed that his court expenses in the proceedings were being covered by the tech billionaire, the owner of social media and electric car companies, who has emerged as an ally of the campaigner and recently addressed a rally organized by him in the capital via a livestream.

A suggested date of next Tuesday for the decision was altered by the district judge, the judge, after the defense explained Robinson was scheduled to be a guest of the Israel's administration from Wednesday and would not return 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 said he would deliver his verdict on the morning of 4 November.