Tommy Robinson has claimed he is now "bankrupt" after losing a libel case against a Syrian schoolboy.
The far right activist was ordered to pay Jamal Hijazi £100,000 after he was successfully sued by the 18-year-old for making defamatory claims against him on Facebook.
Footage of Mr Hijazi being assaulted in the playground at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield in October 2018 was posted online.
Shortly after, the English Defence League founder - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - claimed in two videos of his own that Hijazi was "not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school".
Get the latest headlines sent straight to your inbox with our newsletter
Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?
We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines every day.
We also send coronavirus updates at 5pm on weekdays, and a round up of the week's must-read stories on Sunday afternoons.
Signing up is simple, easy and free.
You can pop your email address into the sign up box above, hit Subscribe and we'll do the rest.
Alternatively, you can sign up and check out the rest of our newsletters here.
In the clips, viewed by nearly a million people, Robinson, 38, also claimed Mr Hijazi "beat a girl black and blue" and "threatened to stab" another boy at his school, reports the Mirror.
The judge ruled in Mr Hijazi's favour and granted him £100,000 in damages, as well as ordering Robinson to pay costs which are understood to be more than £500,000.
Robinson - who was appearing via videolink - said he was "gobsmacked" by the costs Mr Hijazi's lawyers were claiming, which he said included £70,000 for taking witness statements.
He added: "I've not got any money. I'm bankrupt. I've struggled hugely with my own issues these last 12 months... I ain't got it."
Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that Robinson should pay Jamal's legal costs, which were not stated in court.
At a four-day trial in April, Mr Hijazi's lawyers said Robinson's comments had "a devastating effect" on the schoolboy and his family who had come to the UK as refugees from Homs, Syria.
Robinson, who represented himself, argued his comments were substantially true, claiming to have "uncovered dozens of accounts of aggressive, abusive and deceitful behaviour" by Mr Hijazi.
However, Mr Justice Nicklin said: "The defendant took on the burden of proving his allegations to be true. He has failed.
"In reality, and for the reasons I have explained, his evidence fell woefully short.
"He has, however, persisted with the serious allegations he originally made, and has even added to them during the proceedings.
"The claimant has had to face them in the full glare and publicity of a High Court trial.
"It is my responsibility to make clear that the defendant has failed in his defence of truth, to vindicate the claimant and to award him a sum in damages that represents fair compensation."
The judge said Robinson's videos were "calculated to inflame the situation" and said Mr Hijazi predictably became the target of abuse and had to leave his home and abandon his education.
He also granted Mr Hijazi an injunction against Robinson, preventing him from repeating the allegations made against him.
Robinson said he had been commissioned to make a film about the incident and described the injunction as a "gagging order", which was "totally unnecessary".
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiW2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5cmVjb3JkLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstd29ybGQtbmV3cy90b21teS1yb2JpbnNvbi1vcmRlcmVkLXBheS1zeXJpYW4tMjQ1OTcxNjnSAV9odHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseXJlY29yZC5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXdvcmxkLW5ld3MvdG9tbXktcm9iaW5zb24tb3JkZXJlZC1wYXktc3lyaWFuLTI0NTk3MTY5LmFtcA?oc=5
2021-07-22 18:42:08Z
52781745496435
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar