UK High Court split over Twitter airport bomb joke

New hearing ordered to discuss fate of Paul Chambers after judges disagree

By Team Register, 28th May 2012

A man who was convicted of posting a tasteless joke on Twitter about blowing up a UK airport is to have his case heard again.

According to report today from New Statesman legal scribe David Allen Green – who is also representing Paul Chambers in the appeal – two judges in the Divisional Court of the High Court had failed agree to a decision about the so-called "Twitter Joke Trial".

The case has been adjourned and will now be heard by three judges. However, no date has yet been set for that deliberation.

In February this year, Chambers appealed against his conviction at Doncaster Magistrates' Court for sending "menacing" communication via Twitter in a hearing with Lord Justice Gross and Mr Justice Irwin.

The 27-year-old trainee accountant, who lost his job following the conviction, had taken to the micro-blogging site to joke about Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport by threatening to blow it "sky high".

Allen Green noted: "A split divisional court is exceptional, and it appears that this may be only the second time it has happened this century."

Chambers said via his Twitter account: "Tbf [To be frank], I was expecting defeat and it's not that. But the hardest thing has been the waiting and now we have to wait some more." ®

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Highly Rated

Posted Monday 28th May 2012 15:49 GMT

Crisp

If you can be jailed for joking

Then the terrorists have already won.

Posted Monday 28th May 2012 15:34 GMT

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

I nearly made a joke at an airport the other day when I was having my hair-gel taken off me because it was 150ml (you are only allowed 100ml).

I was tempted to ask 'how can I blow the plane up now that you've taken my hair-gel away?'

Of course, I realise that we live in a near state of permanent hysteria and a sense of humour is more lethal than cyanide, so I kept my mouth shut and decided to take the train next time.

Posted Monday 28th May 2012 15:44 GMT

dotdavid

Re: Sir

"I was tempted to ask 'how can I blow the plane up now that you've taken my hair-gel away?'"

Now sir you're being unfair. It is a well-known fact that terrorists are too stupid to decant their hair gel into two seperate <100ml containe... hang on, someone at the door. BRB...