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NewsUK News · 14 Nov

Danny Tommo Pleads Guilty: What Happens to His Legal Defence Donations?

Danny Tommo has pleaded guilty to criminal damage. We examine the legal defence appeal, what is known about donations and the questions still unanswered.

Staff Reporter

Anti-migration activist Danny Tommo has pleaded guilty to criminal damage after slashing a dinghy in the English Channel. His change of plea has prompted questions about money raised to pay for his legal defence, but the amount collected and how much has been spent have not been independently established.

Editorial illustration of Danny Tommo guilty plea and defence fund questions, with a Channel dinghy, gavel and documents

Daniel Thomas, 37, known as Danny Tommo, changed his plea at Portsmouth Crown Court on Thursday 12 November 2026. He appeared by video link from HMP Winchester and remains in custody ahead of sentencing on Wednesday 18 November.

The plea relates to an incident on 22 September, when Thomas used a knife to damage an inflatable boat after migrants had been taken off by rescue services. A French rescue worker was still aboard the dinghy when it was slashed, according to evidence described in court. The incident had been livestreamed by Thomas.

The proceedings and sentencing date were reported by ITV Meridian, The Portsmouth News and Associated Press.

What happened to the legal defence appeal?

After Thomas was arrested, supporters were encouraged to fund legal representation. Rebel News founder Ezra Levant launched a public appeal under the heading Save Danny Tommo, asking readers to help pay for a lawyer. In a separate article published on 12 November, Levant continued to solicit donations after the guilty plea.

In a 12 November article, Levant claimed that the Crown had “dropped its serious charge”, called the outcome “a win you helped pay for” and appealed for further donations. However, that description needs an important qualification. The Crown Prosecution Service’s charging statement of 24 September confirms that Thomas was formally charged with just two offences: criminal damage and failing to comply with a notice to disclose information under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Hampshire Police’s initial arrest statement listed several more serious suspected offences, including criminal damage with intent to endanger life and maritime safety offences. Those were arrest suspicions, not charges. At the 12 November hearing, Thomas continued to deny the separate phone-PIN offence, and the prosecutor asked for that count to lie on file. Leaving a count on file is not an acquittal, and the official charging record does not support the claim that a more serious endangering-life charge was dropped.

The original legal appeal did not give an overall estimate of the costs. Fish 4 News has not established a verified total for contributions to that specific defence fund, an itemised expenditure figure or the amount, if any, left unspent.

Social media posts have circulated a £100,000 figure in connection with fundraising for Thomas. Contemporary reporting by Searchlight also referred to supporters being urged to raise £100,000 for his defence and family. That does not establish that £100,000 was actually received by any particular organiser.

Does pleading guilty mean the money was not needed?

No. Legal defence work can be expensive even when a defendant ultimately enters a guilty plea. Costs can arise from advice, court appearances, bail applications, preparation, counsel’s fees and discussions with prosecutors. A change of plea is not, on its own, evidence that anyone collected donations dishonestly.

Thomas initially denied the criminal damage charge before changing his plea. He has maintained his not-guilty plea to the separate allegation that he failed to disclose his phone PIN. As The Portsmouth News reported, prosecutors requested that this remaining count be left on file. The court’s final treatment of that allegation should be checked against the sentencing proceedings.

There are also separate proceedings concerning alleged incidents at a Dover migrant-processing facility. Thomas appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 November in that case, and he denies the outstanding allegations. A trial is listed for 1 to 3 June 2027. These are distinct proceedings from the dinghy criminal damage case, and it is not yet clear whether any of the same legal fundraising will cover them.

What do Rebel News’s donation terms say?

Rebel News’s published contribution policy says crowdfunding payments are generally final and non-refundable. It also states that surpluses from specific initiatives can be used for related project costs, including operational expenses, and for similar initiatives later.

That policy is important for donors to read. It does not, by itself, tell the public how much this appeal collected, which legal invoices were paid or whether money remains. It also does not establish improper use of funds.

Other fundraisers should not be confused with the defence fund

A separate GiveSendGo appeal for Thomas’s children has a £20,000 target and has displayed more than £16,000 raised. Its description says donations are intended for a trust fund for the children, administered by Thomas’s mother, and explicitly states that the money is not for lawyers. These are the organiser’s statements about the intended use of donations, not an independently audited account.

Another appeal to help Thomas’s mother relocate displayed more than £70,000 raised against a £10,000 target. Its stated purpose is relocation. The totals shown on these two pages can change and are not independently audited; neither appeal should be conflated with the legal defence fund.

The questions that remain unanswered

  • How much was donated specifically to the Save Danny legal defence appeal, and during what period?
  • How much has already been paid in legal fees and related costs?
  • Does the fund cover only the Channel case or also the separate Dover proceedings?
  • Will supporters receive an accounting of money spent and any surplus?
  • What, if anything, will happen to unspent funds following sentencing?

These are reasonable questions to put to the organisers of a publicly promoted campaign. They are not allegations that a crime has been committed, and Fish 4 News has not seen evidence proving that donations were stolen or diverted for personal use.

What happens next?

Thomas is due to be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court at 9.30am on Wednesday 18 November 2026. The sentence, any further developments in the phone-PIN allegation and any explanation of the fundraising accounts will help determine what can be reported next.

The Dover proceedings remain separate. In earlier reporting, Fish 4 News also examined Thomas’s claims about court disclosure of his family’s address.

Follow this story: Danny Tommo updates on Fish 4 News.

Editorial update, 14 November 2026: This report was clarified after publication to distinguish the offences initially suspected by police from the two charges brought by prosecutors, and to explain the request concerning the unresolved phone-PIN allegation. Fundraising figures have also been rounded because appeal totals can change.

Sources