Twitter Bomb Joker Takes Battle To High Court
Paul Chambers’ appeal against conviction goes to the High Court, while Britain’s senior Judge warns Twitter could disrupt jury trials
Twitter bomb joker Paul Chambers is appealing to the high court, after he was fined £1,000 for posting a joke on Twitter about blowing up a snow-bound airport.
In January, Chambers tweeted that he might blow up Robin Hood airport near Doncaster, in frustration that it was snowed in, preventing him from visiting an online acquaintance in Belfast. His post read: “Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”
To his dismay, the authorities took the post seriously, and arrested him. Chambers was detained for most of a day, had his home raided and computer seized, and lost his job as a trainee accountant. He was eventually convicted in May for sending a menacing electronic communication.
Chambers appeals conviction
Chambers’ appeal reached Doncaster crown court last month and – despite widespread criticism and frank disbelief – of the verdict, was rejected by Judge Jacqueline Davies rejected his appeal.
His tweent had caused “a great inconvenience” ruled Davies, adding: “The words in the message speak for themselves and they were sent at a time when the security threat to this country was substantial.”
Chambers acknowledged on Twitter that the decision to take his fight to the High Court was “probably to the detriment of my mental wellbeing,” but confirmed he was “appealing the decision as best I can”. He tweeted: “It was very tempting to draw a line to be honest, took a long time to weigh it up. I feel like I’m living in a goldfish bowl.”
Meanwhile, the world of Twitter has rallied to support Chambers, with a flurry of Tweeters using the #IAmSpartacus and #twitterjoketrial hashtags to send fake bomb threats earlier this month.
Human rights lawyer Ben Emmerson will head up the legal fight for Paul Chambers in the High Court.
Lord Chief Justice warns against Twitter
Amid the furore surrounding the Chambers case, Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge is warning that Google and Twitter are threatening the justice system, with jurors using the Internet to reveal details of cases and accessing material on the web that may prejudice their view of the case.
“We cannot stop people ‘tweeting’, but if jurors look at such material, the risks to the fairness of the trial will be very serious, and ultimately the openness of the trial process on which we all rely would be damaged,” said Lord Judge.
He added: “We welcome advances in technology, provided that we are its masters and it is our tool and servant.”
