According to prosecutor Kevin Lucie, Thomas instructed his boat to be steered towards the empty rigid inflatable boat that was adrift and armed himself with a knife as rescue crews approached and a Frenchman boarded from a rescue vessel. After slashing the dinghy, Thomas could be heard on a livestream saying: “This is what needs to happen to everyone in these boats. Right, you're on English territory, This is England, this is not France anymore. Get off the boat, you have time to get off the boat. This is not France. Take them back.”
The court previously heard that Thomas had taken a boat into the Channel and observed the occupants of a dinghy being assisted by the RNLI, Border Force and the French coastguard. He admitted using a knife on the dinghy, which had French personnel on board. The Guardian describes Thomas as a far-right agitator and reports he is said to be a close associate of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.
The RNLI said the rescued asylum seekers had been in the water for 36 hours, thought to be the longest time small boat passengers have spent crossing the Channel, with concerns for deteriorating health and fears of a catastrophic failure of their dinghy. The French coastguard reported about 60 migrants on a small boat had spent more than 33 hours at sea in precarious conditions, refusing help as they were determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.
At the hearing, Thomas also reiterated a plea of not guilty to failing to disclose the pin to his phone to police, under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
His actions were condemned as violent and dangerous by refugee charities the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants and Stand Up to Racism. Thomas had gathered dozens of nationalist protest groups over the summer under the umbrella movement Patriot Platform. In September, hundreds of masked anti-migrant activists aligned to Patriot Platform descended on Dover and Portsmouth, with Hampshire police reporting damage to police, coastguard and Border Force vehicles and a few minor injuries to officers.