Daniel “Tommo” Thomas was refused bail after pleading not guilty to criminal damage charges linked to an alleged knife attack on a migrant dinghy crossing the English Channel.
The 37-year-old also denied failing to provide police with the PIN for his mobile phone, an offence under Section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
Thomas appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning. Tommy Robinson was in attendance to support him.
Robinson had also joined supporters at a protest outside a police station in the town the previous evening.
He later took a seat in the public gallery during the hearing, with one police officer positioned nearby and another stationed at the courtroom entrance.
Prosecutor Kevin Lucie told the court that Thomas had used a knife to slash a drifting boat. He was alleged to have said: “You are on English territory. This is England. This is not France anymore.”
The court heard that a crew member was aboard the vessel as it began losing air.
Thomas indicated that he wanted the case heard at the Crown Court after entering his not-guilty pleas. The magistrates nevertheless refused bail and remanded him in custody.
The father of four, who was described as a professional roofer, was seen wiping his eyes with a tissue during the proceedings.
His next hearing is scheduled at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday, September 29.
Tommy Robinson arrives outside Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court in Hampshire to support Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo
Thomas faces charges of criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone PIN. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody
Thomas, widely known as Danny Tommo, is accused of criminal damage and refusing to disclose his phone PIN after allegedly being filmed slashing an inflatable boat in the English Channel while a rescue crew member was on board.
Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the police station last night, where Thomas is understood to have been held following his arrest.
The demonstration followed the release of footage that allegedly shows Thomas striking an inflatable dinghy with a knife as a rescuer remained on board.
Thomas reportedly went out to sea on Tuesday after it emerged that a boat carrying 51 migrants was attempting to make the crossing to Britain.
The group was eventually brought to Dover by the coastguard after spending 38 hours at sea.
Details of the charges emerged as around 250 members of Thomas’s Patriot Platform group gathered outside the Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire. They arrived at about 6.30pm.
The group was applauded by roughly 50 protesters already assembled along the road, while chants including “free DT” and “Oh Danny Danny” could be heard.
Several police vans were stationed outside the centre, and officers filmed the protesters. Some participants wore balaclavas and carried St George’s and Union flags.
As soon as the group arrived outside the police station, a spokesman urged the group to remove all face coverings – as a police drone kept watch overhead.
Just after 8pm, the protesters paused for prayer relayed via a loudspeaker.
The crowd then broke into a rendition of ‘We want our Danny back’, before some members aimed laser pens at the police station.
The road was blocked by the crowd, though it parted briefly several times to allow traffic through. One motorist driving a white Chevrolet draped with a large Scotland flag beeped his horn in support and drew loud cheers.
Protesters began to disperse peacefully at around 9:30pm.
Around 250 followers of Danny Tommo gathered outside the Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke on Thursday evening
Unlike previous gatherings, most of the attendees were not wearing face masks
The group gathered in answer to calls from a masked member of Patriot Platform – the group behind anti-migrant protests in Dover and Portsmouth – who urged followers to converge on Basingstoke Police Station in a social media post.
Fellow right-wing firebrand Tommy Robinson also called on supporters to travel to the Hampshire town via his X account – though said he could not himself attend because he was up north.
Thomas livestreamed part of his arrest on Wednesday night from a BP garage in an undisclosed location, and footage was later reposted showing him asking to ‘say goodbye to my kids’.
An officer then told Tommo to ‘step out of the car’ and explained the arrest, while a woman off-camera was heard saying: ‘The cameras are on, let go of the phone.’
After the video of Thomas emerged on Tuesday, hundreds of activists gathered in Gosport, where the migrants were initially expected to arrive.
Coaches called in to transport the migrants were moved under police escort down the coast to Dover, where the group of 51 were eventually brought ashore at around half past midnight on Wednesday morning.
- A man was arrested for on suspicion or carrying a knife at the protest. He will appear in Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court today, September 25.