Lord Judge to hear Twitter bomb hoax case after High Court stalemate
The Twitter bomb hoax case is to be heard by the most senior judge in the land after two High Court judges failed to reach agreement on the matter.
The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge will chair a specially convened panel of three High Court judges at the end of the month in a bid to finally rule on the conviction of a man who tweeted about blowing up an airport.
This week The Lawyer reported that two High Court judges,Sir Peter Gross and Mr Justice Irwin, were split after an appeal hearing into the conviction of Paul Chambers (28 May 2012).
In 2010 Chambers was found guilty at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court of sending a menacing electronic communication. He had claimed that he was joking when he tweeted in January 2010 about a snow-closed Doncaster airport: “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!!”
In the appeal, which was heard in February, Chambers was represented by Ben Emmerson QC of Matrix Chambers, instructed by Preiskel & Co head of media David Allen Green. John Cooper QC of 25 Bedford Row will represent Chambers in the latest hearing.
Green called the split decision on the case “exceptional”. The fresh appeal hearing is scheduled for 27 June.
CPS special appeals unit lawyer Tracey Wareham instructed Robert Smith QC of Park Court Chambers to act on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer.
