The far-right activist Tommy Robinson has told his harassment trial that he used private investigators to track down journalists who had written about his alleged role in the 2024 riots, and had photographs taken of their homes “to put pressure” on them.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, denied in court that his actions, which included sharing photos of the wife and daughter of one of the journalists, were designed to intimidate and bully.

“I’m not coming to beat [them] up … they know that,” he said, referring to messages and telephone calls, including a voicemail message left for the editor of the Daily Mail after Robinson had paid to get his personal number.

Robinson is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence to two MailOnline journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, in 2024.…