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Twitter Joker Found Guilty After Harmless Tweet About Airport
Twitter Joker Found Guilty After Harmless Tweet About Airport
After tweeting his frustration back in January over a closed airport (obviously joking when he said he'd be "blowing the airport sky high"), Irish Paul Chambers has been found guilty in what's been dubbed the #TwitterJokeTrial. [@davidallengreen and @mswainwright]
Send an email to Kat Hannaford, the author of this post, at khannaford@gizmodo.com.
Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.Surely, as most things, the context is key here. He was on the way to get on a plan to meet up with a lady.The airport is shut (i think due to weather) so he tweets to his followers
"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!!"
Not the most classic tweet ever uttered, hardly funny enough to justify all this, but really, a frustrated passenger unable to board a plane.
The airport was never closed off by security, the actual 'threat' element wasn't taken seriously at all it seems, but the fact that he threatened a threat was.
The judge today said the words were "sent at a time when the security threat to this country was substantial." but this is dangerously mixing the threat of terrorism with the rights of free speech and saying something stupid. Al-Qaeda don't tend to send 26 yr old Irish blokes on twitter to announce that if an airport is still shut in a week then there will definitely be a bomb.
Other commenters have noted that its exactly this knee jerk reaction that means the terrorists do win.
This isn't the same as a nutjob post a manifesto before going on a rampage, no other evidence shows that he is a dangerous type or has previous. It's a stupid thing said in anger and the courts not understanding really what twitter is
And, I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.
Now, I want star rating in a week or I'll blow Gizmodo sky high!! Reply
verset promoted this comment
The decision today was a Crown Court appeal being denied, not an initial finding. He was found guilty of the offence in April after a Magistrates' Court trial, and prior to that he had pleaded guilty, only to later vacate his plea.The tweet was not harmless, given that the airport officials had no choice but to investigate it, to great public cost. They applied common sense, as did the Police, as no flights were grounded or airports closed.
For the record, I know Chamber's solicitor, and he is highly intelligent, highly skilled and probably the one person I would ask to defend me if I was ever charged with a criminal offence. Reply
Stephen Fry is a legend!@pauljchambers My offer still stands. Whatever they fine you, I'll pay x #twitterjoketrial (Taken from @stephenfry) Reply
Tyrunn approved this comment
An article, for those interested.He originally pled guilty. Today's decision was a rejection of his appeal to change his plea to "deny intent to bomb the airport [without] denying posting the tweet."
No jail time, just a fine of £1000 and a £2,600 bill for prosecution costs. A not-so-unreasonable slap on a dumbass' wrist. Reply
depends on what he was found guilty of. i mean, if he didnt have any dangerous materials, then he really should have gotten off. freedom of speech and all that jazz. his attorney must have been asleep. Reply
Ah the world we live in. Last I checked the real terrorists don't tweet their plans in advance. I wonder how much time and money was wasted slapping this guy on the wrist? Reply
Well at least in America, we have the freedom of speech. It seems we are punished for that at times though. Reply
Seriously?To the people saying: "If people joke about this, how will they know the real threats?"
Um, pretty sure someone who is ACTUALLY going to blow something up isn't going to go on Twitter beforehand and be like "Lol on my way to blowin up the _______! Gonna be fun! I'll Twitpic the aftermath!"
Like... for real?
Maybe the guy just meant he was going to blow a bunch of guys on drugs in the airport bathroom? He could be running for public office as a conservative and wanted to up his reputation! Give the poor guy a break. Reply
He should get some punishment - but hopefully not jail time - maybe a few hundred hours of community service or something similar - but does need to get some sort of punishment, even if it was a joke.How in the world are public officials supposed to distinguish real threats from jokes? Imagine if you are that official responsible for thousands of lives - are you going to risk that someone was just joking?
I wouldn't. I would have to spend tax payer money to do an investigation. He needs to be held accountable for his actions - I just hope they are smart about it - instead of just doing the lazy option and throwing him in jail.
Sidenote: Did you guys check out Martin Wainwright's twitter feed? [twitter.com] I can't believe this guy in an editor. Even if it is twitter he should have some level of spell check/proper grammar. Reply
I know it's silly to get the cops involved in an obvious status update joke. But, honestly, what are these people thinking when this happens? I'd be on their side if the jokes were at least funny and worth it, but as this "This American Life" episode shows, they rarely are.If you're going to be inflammatory, at least try to be clever about it. Geez. Reply
Was it stupid. Yes. Should he have been found guilty of a bomb threat hoax? No.
Just my opinion, but people need to calm the heck down. The quote taken out of context is quite concerning and warranted an investigation. However when taken into context and given the fact the guy is obviously not planning nor was ever planning to bomb anything, they should just tell him it was stupid and move on to finding the real bad guys.
The world has become paranoid and insane.
Good luck Mr. Chambers, it was stupid, but doesn't warrant a conviction. Reply
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Wow.
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