Danny Tommo, who recently played a leading role in protests against illegal migration in Dover and Portsmouth, appears in court on Tuesday charged with criminal damage after puncturing a migrant boat in the Channel last week.
The English activist himself live-streamed the action six days ago, in which he carried out the sabotage on the water after the migrants had left the boat following their rescue by emergency workers.
Tommy Robinson’s former bodyguard thus appears to be following in the footsteps of his former employer, as he assumes a rather resolute role in his activism against illegal migration to Britain.
The British authorities’ treatment of Danny Tommo (an alias for Daniel Thomas) also bears similarities to that used against Robinson, in that he is also accused of failing to provide the police with the PIN code to his phone. There are therefore two charges he must answer at Portsmouth Crown Court tomorrow, having already denied the charges at a remand hearing on Friday.
A similar parallel applies to the media coverage, with, for example, The Telegraph describing him as ‘far-Right’.
Danny Tommo works as a roofer and has four children, the English newspaper reported after the first court hearing:
Simon Pentol KC, defending, said: “I invite this court to bear in mind it’s dealing with a 37-year-old man who lives with his long-standing partner and their four children, all aged between 18 and three, his partner is pregnant once again, four months. She is a full-time mother, he is the full-time provider or bread-winner as they used to say.
“He is a professional roofer by trade, he is therefore having to look after his family who, through his political activism, have been under huge threat and due to publication of his mother’s home address, she has had to move home.”
Mr Pentol said the issues for the criminal damage charge included the level of damage caused, whether the incident happened in international waters and out of the UK jurisdiction and whether there was “a lawful excuse”.
For the failure to provide his phone pin, Mr Pentol said the issues included whether the notice was provided by an “appropriate person” and whether Thomas had been given enough opportunity to respond.
The British media and authorities have every prospect of giving rise to a new folk hero.
