Man accused of racially harassing Tommy Robinson is cleared after former EDL leader lied to police

A vulnerable man accused of racially harassing Tommy Robinson has been cleared after it emerged the former English Defence League leader had lied to police.

Muhammad Abdul Basir, 24, had been due to go on trial at the Old Bailey trial next month accused of uploading videos to YouTube that caused Mr Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon to fear for his safety.

The far-right activist had claimed he had been so worried about the content of the clips that he had been forced to remove his children from school.

But when police checked the claims with the school they discovered he had been lying.

Mr Yaxley-Lennon also made false claims about having received official warnings about threats to his safety.

At a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, the Crown offered no evidence and Mr Basir, who was described as having mental health problems, was formally acquitted.

Prosecutor Peter Clement told the court there was no dispute that Mr Basir had uploaded the videos to YouTube in September 2019.

In one of the clips Mr Basir tells the camera: "I'm a contract killer. I have got guns. How much will you offer me to kill Tommy Robinson?”

Mr Clement said the case centred on whether Mr Robinson feared violence would be used against him.

The court heard how he had initially told police his fears prompted him to remove his children from school for 48 hours, yet inquiries revealed that was not true.

The prosecutor went on: "He [Mr Yaxley-Lennon] explained that the videos that the defendant had uploaded came at a time when he, the complainant, received numerous warnings from the authorities as to threats to life and/or threats of serious violence to himself.

"The police understandably and rightly inquired as to that and again that was found not to be accurate in that there had been no such warnings over the relevant period.”

Mr Robinson referred to an incident almost two years earlier when Mr Basir had uploaded another video about him to YouTube.

The far right campaigner, who has convictions for violence and contempt of court, had on that occasion turned up at his home to confront him.

Mr Clement said: "In January 2018, the complainant managed to obtain the defendant's home address and said he had paid a reward to someone to find it. He, the complainant, travelled to London to confront the defendant.

"He said just that in his witness statement and that the confrontation was such that enforced his, the complainant's, fears."

But Mr Robinson failed to tell police that a video of the meeting showed the pair patting each other on the back and engaging in a friendly arm wrestle.

Mr Clement said: "The contents of the video could be said to be at odds with what the complainant described.

"In the video, the complainant is seen to pat the defendant on the back and say 'I know you are no threat to me or my family' and to which the defendant replied 'I will protect you'.

"The two patted each other on the back and the confrontation ended in a friendly arm wrestle on the bonnet of the car.”

Samantha Wright, defending, said it was clear her client had not caused any distress at all and said Mr Robinson had used the confrontation as an opportunity to generate funding and publicity.

Mrs Justice Whipple formally cleared the defendant saying that evidence post-charge showed that Mr Robinson had "lied" to police and that he had "not been put in fear at an earlier event in January 2018".