Daniel Thomas pleads not guilty after dinghy slashed

Anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas has pleaded not guilty to criminal damage after a video appeared to show him slashing at a dinghy in the Channel with a knife.

The 37-year-old, known to his supporters as Danny Tommo, was arrested after the livestreamed video on Tuesday.

Thomas, who appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court in Hampshire via videolink, is also charged with failing to disclose the PIN to his phone.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Portsmouth Crown Court on 29 September.

The court heard a crew member was on the boat while it was heard leaking air.

Prosecutor Kevin Lucie, outlining the facts of the criminal damage charge, told the court that Thomas slashed an adrift boat with a knife and said: "You are on English territory. This is England. This is not France any more."

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said the case could have been heard in the magistrates' court but Mr Thomas elected to be tried at crown court.

Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was among those in the public gallery.

Some supporters also gathered outside the court.

Posting on social media after the hearing, Yaxley-Lennon said: "Danny is being remanded to prison. Bail refused. Outrageous.

"His legal team will now prepare to fight at the crown court for his bail."

Hampshire police previously said an arrest had been made after a "boat that had an emergency responder on board" was damaged in the Channel on Tuesday.

Several hundred people gathered outside a police investigation centre in Basingstoke on Thursday evening, believing that Thomas was inside.

The demonstration, which seemed to pass off peacefully, began shortly before 18:30 BST. Protesters stood on the road outside the building and could be heard chanting "free DT".

The crowd began to disperse at about 21:45 after they learned of the charges against Thomas.