Tommy was given an early release from prison last month, and the disposition of the Tower Hamlets case may affect whether he is returned to prison for violating the conditions of his early release. He appeared in court today, where it was decided whether the trial would start today or be postponed due to Tommy's lack of legal representation.
A source close to Tommy sent the following brief report on what happened:
A message from an observer at the court during Tommy's hearing, after the decision was announced at 11:00 am:
"Case is adjourned till November due to the uncertain reason why his legal aid was refused. The judge decided that Tommy has a right to a fair trial with legal representation. The next hearing will be on 10th November at 9.30 am. So Tommy has to organize either a pro bono solicitor or try to find one from the legal aid again."
Tommy has now given his permission for the above information to be released and would like to add that the police tried to proceed with the case, in spite of the fact that Tommy had no legal representation. The judge, however, was unhappy with that.
I'm not familiar with the details of Tommy's case. I remember that it was based on his allegedly exceeding his time limit while giving a speech at the Tower Hamlets demo last year. As to why he was refused legal aid, I have no idea.
There may be a way to contribute to a legal defense fund for Tommy so that he can afford to hire a solicitor. Assuming, of course, that one of the conditions of his early release from prison was not that he could receive no such donations — an assumption that may be over-optimistic, given the totalitarian state that Britain has become.
If any more information on Tommy's situation comes in, including a way to donate to his defense, I'll post it here.
Previous posts about Tommy Robinson, Kevin Carroll, and the Quilliam Foundation: