Andre Yoskowitz
10 May 2010 21:00
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.