Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for contempt of court for repeating false accusations against a Syrian refugee in breach of an order.

He was told that “no one is above the law” by a judge who said the “egregious” breaches had been carried out in a “sophisticated” manner to ensure the false claims would reach “maximum coverage”, affecting tens of millions of people would be achieved.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had shown no remorse and there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation, said Judge Johnson, who told Woolwich Crown Court on Monday: “All his actions to date suggest that he considers himself as above the law.”

However, the judge allowed the sentence to be dropped by four months if Robinson “cleansed” himself by removing the false claims from the social media accounts he controlled.

Although two days had been set aside for the hearing, the court was told in the morning that Robinson had admitted contempt by ten breaches of a 2021 high court order, leading to the Solicitor General issuing two contempt notices.

The hearing was told that Robinson had in fact repeated all the allegations that led to him losing a defamation case brought by Jamal Hijazi, who was filmed being attacked at a school in West Yorkshire.

Shortly after video of the incident went viral, Robinson falsely claimed in Facebook videos that Hijazi “was not innocent and that he is violently attacking young English girls at his school.”

The false claims were repeated by Robinson in interviews with, among others, Gareth Icke, son of the conspiracy theorist David Icke, and in a film made by Robinson. Titled Silenced, it was viewed by millions of people as it was shared on online platforms, including that of misogynist Andrew Tate.

Aidan Eardley KC, for the Solicitor General, said: “The film is a substantial piece of work. It lasts about 90 minutes and is entirely dedicated to the Hijazi story.”

Other breaches of the court’s instructions included broadcasting the film on screens at a rally Robinson organized for his supporters in Trafalgar Square on July 27.

At the start of the hearing, Eardley said a “resolution” had been reached on the allegations.

When asked by Judge Johnson whether he accepted he had committed the offences, Robinson nodded and then replied: “Yes.”

Referring to Robinson by his real name, Eardley said the case was not about the far-right figure’s political activities. “It is a disobedience to a court order and an undermining of the rule of law,” he said.

The court was told by Sasha Wass KC, for Robinson, that he was a journalist and that it was his “principles that brought him before the court”.

She argued for mitigation on the grounds that her client had pleaded guilty “sooner rather than later,” even though he previously failed to show up at a hearing in the case in July..

Robinson was ordered to pay costs of £80,350.82 ordered by the Solicitor General. He was reminded by Mr Johnson that he would still be subject to the order after his release and would be liable for sanctions again if he breached it. The possibility of parole after fourteen months was at least conditional on Silenced’s removal from his social media accounts.

Anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate, which originally compiled a dossier detailing how Robinson breached the order, said: “Today’s verdict proves that even Lennon’s actions have consequences and can go some way to achieving justice for Jamal Hijazi .”