Twitter community blasts 'joke trial' outcome
Twitter users including celebrities Stephen Fry and Dara O'Briain have voiced their support for Paul Chambers, the man convicted of "menance" after tweeting a joke about blowing up an airport.
Chambers yesterday lost his appeal against the conviction and was ordered by a Doncaster court to pay a fine of £3,600, including legal costs.
Fry offered to pay Chambers' legal costs after the 27-year-old's conviction in the summer and the writer and broadcaster reiterated his offer in light of the failed appeal yesterday.
"My offer still stands. Whatever they fine you, I'll pay," Fry said.
Chambers was arrested in January and lost his accountancy job after tweeting: "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!"
Despite Chambers' insistence that the message was just a "foolish prank", judge Jacqueline Davies yesterday dismissed his appeal on every account.
Judge Davies told the courtroom: "Anyone in this country in the present climate of terrorist threats, especially at airports, could not be unaware of the possible consequences."
Peep Show actor David Mitchell branded the verdict "a disgrace", saying Chambers is being "punished for flippancy".
Fellow comedian O'Briain wrote: "An astonishing, ludicrous result in #twitterjoketrial. A victory for crushing literalism and scaremongering by the judiciary. Horrible."
Twitter users have derided the verdict en masse with the #twitterjoketrial hash tag becoming a worldwide trending topic.
Rob Wilmot, a co-founder of Freeserve and now director of digital at the BCS agency, said: "The outcome will be seen as a disappointment to many, raising concerns about freedom of speech and civil liberties as this sets a powerful precedent in law.
"I am sure all who have followed this case will think twice about what they say online.”
Yesterday it emerged that Birmingham councillor Gareth Compton had been arrested after writing a tweet calling for writer Yasmin Alibhai Brown to be stoned to death.