The far-right activist Tommy Robinson whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was cleared of a terrorism-related charge after he refused to let police access his phone in July, 2024.
He had been stopped by the police at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone while driving a friend's silver Bentley to Spain.
Robinson declined to share his phone's PIN code with the police, saying his phone had private information related to his journalism work, as per BBC.
He was held by police under a law called Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which gives officers the authority to stop and question anyone at UK ports or borders if they suspect the person might have connections with terrorism.
The judge, Sam Goozee said he wasn't fully convinced that the police had acted legally when they stopped Robinson.
"I cannot put out of my mind that it was actually what you [Tommy Robinson] stood for and your political beliefs that acted for the principle reason for this stop", said Judge Goozee.
Earlier, Robinson had mentioned in a video that billionaire Elon Musk had covered the cost of his legal expense and after the verdict, he again thanked the Tesla boss, saying, "Elon Musk I am forever grateful. If you didn't step in and fund my legal fight for this then I'd probably be in jail."
Robinson's lawyer said that the police stop was influenced by politics, arguing that officers main reason for the stop was recognizing him as a well-known far-right activist rather than any real suspicion of terrorism.
