A man was arrested and held in police cells for seven hours as a suspected terrorist after making a joke on Twitter about blowing his local airport sky high.
Paul Chambers, 26, tapped out the comment to amuse friends because his planned trip to Ireland was under threat due to heavy snow at Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.
‘C**p! Robin Hood Airport is closed,’ he tweeted. ‘You’ve got a week and a bit to get your s*** together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!’.
But a week later, police arrived at the finance superviser’s office to arrest him under the Terrorism Act – after an apparent anonymous tip-off.
Over reaction or taking all 'threats' seriously??
Comments
If there is a successful conviction then there are implications for the limits of freedom of speech in the UK. The potential charge "conspiricy to create a bomb hoax" does seem to be rather fluffy at best.
Just a follow-up:
"A district judge ruled the Tweet was "of a menacing nature in the context of the times in which we live".
Chambers, of Balby, Doncaster, was fined £385 and told to pay £600 costs."
"Trainee accountant Chambers was arrested at his workplace at a car distribution firm in Sandtoft, near Doncaster, where he was a finance supervisor.
The court heard he had now lost his job because of the prosecution."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8673196.stm
Stephen Fry has offered to cover the full fine. It won't help the guy rebuild his career, but it's a cool gesture.
I really hope he appeals; this would (surely) have to be overturned at a higher court; it's an insane judgement.