I don't know how UK law works but in the US people are kept in prison or on bail until their trial date, after which they are handed a sentence. If he's been sentenced to prison for 13 months its probably because the trial date is somewhere within that timeframe (possibly 2 months) and they'll decide upon a larger (or smaller) sentence at that time.
Anyways its generally understood that he's been arrested under the claim of contempt of court, which means he either interfered with his own trial or a different trial he wasn't part of. Due to his status as an alt right figure, the court probably figured that he could easily be threatened by a biased jury. This gag decision could possibly help his case.
Imagine, if you will, the trial was revealed, and the jurors were made aware of his status as alt right, either through a protest happening outside, or some sort of outside influence, etc. They might vote him guilty on contempt of court, even though he might've not even committed the crime. Then he'd end up going to prison for a crime he didnt commit. Or likewise, maybe the jurors could be supportive of his views, and vote innocent on a crime he obviously committed.
Obviously obfuscation of trial details until the trial takes place is key to keeping the jury impartial
Jury sequestration is the isolation of a jury to avoid accidental or deliberate tainting.[1] Although sequestration is rare, publicity surrounding a trial and interested parties may interfere with juror objectivity; a judge may order that a jury be sequestered in order to prevent others from tampering with members of the jury through undue persuasion, threats, or bribes. This occurred most notably during the O.J. Simpson trial.[2] The jurors are usually kept in a hotel, but they are not allowed to read the newspaper, watch television, or access the Internet.[3]
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