Paul Chambers airport bomb tweet case to be heard again

A man who posted a Twitter message threatening to blow up Robin Hood Airport must have his case 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.

A two-judge Divisional Court of the High Court ordered the new hearing.

The message Chambers tweeted said: "Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit... otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!"

Mr Chambers' legal representative said there was no new date set yet for the hearing.

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

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.