Paul Chambers airport bomb tweet appeal to be heard again

Paul Chambers will have the case heard again, the High Court ruled

A man who posted on Twitter threatening to blow up Robin Hood Airport is to have his appeal heard again.

Paul Chambers, 27, from Doncaster, who now lives in Northern Ireland, was convicted in May 2011 for sending a "menacing electronic communication".

He claimed it was a joke but was found guilty by Doncaster magistrates and an appeal was dismissed by a judge which was then challenged at the High Court.

Two judges in the High Court ordered the new appeal hearing.

'Not serious'

Chambers' legal representative said there was no date set yet for the hearing, which will be before three judges.

Chambers said he had thought no-one would ever have taken seriously his joking threat against the airport.

The message Chambers tweeted, which included swear words, stated: "Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You've got a week to get your shit together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!"

The accountant said he had sent the tweet to his 600 followers in a moment of frustration after snow forced the closure of the airport in January 2010.

He was convicted at Doncaster Magistrates' Court of sending "a message of a menacing character", contrary to provisions of the 2003 Communications Act, fined £385 and ordered to pay £600 costs.

Among his many supporters are broadcasters Charlie Brooker and Stephen Fry, both high-profile Twitter users.

Comedian Al Murray, one of the high-profile campaigners supporting Chambers, said: "We were hoping for a decision either way.

"Paul's tweet has gone the full distance from joke to tragedy to farce via the High Court. We've all got our fingers crossed and will carry on fundraising."