“TOMMY ROBINSON” secretly recorded conversations with school staff in a bid to gather evidence for a libel case against him, the High Court heard today.

The English Defence League founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told a pre-trial hearing that he “had to” film people covertly because they might not want to stand by him in court.

The 38-year-old is being sued by Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi, who was filmed being attacked in Almondbury School playground in Huddersfield in November 2018.