Overview
- Prosecutors say that on September 22 Thomas took a boat into the English Channel, armed himself with a knife and slashed a migrant dinghy while RNLI, Border Force and the French coastguard were assisting the occupants.
- Thomas has pleaded not guilty to criminal damage and to failing to disclose the PIN for his iPhone under Section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act after police sought access to footage he livestreamed.
- Judge James Newton-Price refused bail at Portsmouth Crown Court and remanded Thomas in custody, set a provisional trial date of March 1, 2027, and listed the next hearing for November 12, 2026.
- The livestreamed footage of the arrest and alleged attack prompted protests near police facilities and intensified scrutiny of the safety risks posed to rescue crews and migrants when activists intervene at sea.
- Key points for the trial will be the digital evidence on Thomas’s phone and whether prosecutors can prove the dinghy was damaged while a crew member was aboard, outcomes that could affect policing of livestreamed protest activity and rescue protocols.