The English activist Danny Tommo, who last week punctured an empty migrant boat in the English Channel, was remanded in custody on Tuesday pending his trial in 2027.
The judge at Portsmouth Crown Court, James Newton-Price, refused to release the 37-year-old, who is charged with criminal damage and failing to provide the police with the PIN code for his mobile phone, reports Sky News.
Thomas, who founded the anti-immigration group Patriot Platform, is due to appear before the same court again on 12 November.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, a provisional trial date was set for 1 March 2027.
The judge has set the limit for pre-trial detention at 25 March 2027, according to The Independent, which means that Danny Tommo (alias Daniel Thomas) risks remaining in custody for half a year.
Regarding his decision to refuse bail, the judge told the court: “I am not concerned with the political issues or motives in this case, and I set them aside when determining this matter.”
Simon Pentol KC, who was defending Thomas, had proposed a ‘package of bail conditions’ as an alternative to his client being remanded in custody.
He said that if Tommo were granted bail, “he would be in no doubt that a single misstep or a single wrong thought – should it come to that – or an inappropriate gesture or comment, would render him liable for breaching the bail conditions”.
Pentol added: “He is willing to put himself in that position in order to be able to return to his family today.”
Pentol described the charges against his client as “politically charged and fundamentally flawed”.
He continued: “The court is hearing a case against a man who is charged with simple criminal damage and with failing to comply with a section 49 order regarding a mobile phone key.
“He is not charged, and has never been charged, with serious public disorder.”
The British judicial system appears to treat even non-violent anti-immigration activists harshly.
The maximum penalty for criminal damage amounting to more than 5,000 pounds is ten years’ imprisonment. However, the cost of the damage is unknown, as the boat was transported back to France and the owner has not been in touch.
If the case cannot be classified as a victimless crime, it is difficult to rule out that someone who has facilitated illegal migration is themselves a criminal.
