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Twitter user convicted after 'menacing' message

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 May 2010 9:00 User comments (8)

Twitter user convicted after 'menacing' message

UK citizen Paul Chambers has been convicted this week of sending a 'menacing' tweet via Twitter, with the British Court fining him £1000 and slapping him with a criminal record.
In early January, the airport in South Yorkshire was closed due to excessive snow and Chambers was so mad that he wrote: "Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your s*** together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!"

Airport security officials saw the tweet and then passed on the complaint to the local authorities.

Chambers lost his job after being arrested, and appears to be the first person to ever be convicted of a crime just for tweeting.

Although the tweet was a joke, the Doncaster Magistrates' Court found Chambers guilty of sending threatening messages and therefore imposed the steep fine.

Chambers says he is considering an appeal, as the criminal record jeopardizes his chances of securing a new job.

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8 user comments

110.5.2010 23:01

the inner troll strikes again

210.5.2010 23:40

"sir i was just tweeting,thats not a crime is it?!"
"well as it turns out it is richards,your fired."
WHOOPS
:)

311.5.2010 02:32

Time to delete some of tweets!

411.5.2010 03:03

stupid!
i hate the world. do i get arrested 2?

511.5.2010 10:05

And anyone who tweets, chances are has been on the net, also should realize that people need to be more and more careful at what they say in public be it in person/cellular messaging/internet or otherwise. He would lose this appeal if he tried, as people just take bomb threats too seriously now after 911.

611.5.2010 16:01

he clearly shouldn't have posted it, but there is a balance issue for me as regards marking him for life



712.5.2010 01:06

he shouldn't of posted it but he was obviously angry and posting out of anger not criminal intent.Dont know if temporary insainity holds up in court or not and sometimes you say things in anger that you don't actually mean.

814.5.2010 18:05

Simple problem easily avoided. Just make profile private.

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