Lawcast 218: John Cooper QC on the #Twitterjoketrial judgment – Charon QC

“The judgment in the #twitterJoketrial is an important one for Paul Chambers who has been acquitted and can now get on with his life without the stain of criminal conviction hanging over his head.”

Podcast

Charon QC, 28th July 2012

Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com

“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.

Twitter users “free to speak not what they ought to say, but what they feel” – UK Human Rights Blog

“The famous ‘Twitter joke’ conviction of Paul Chambers has been overturned on appeal, bringing welcome clarity to what is and what is not an offence of this type. On discovering a week before he was due to take a flight that the airport was closed due to adverse weather conditions, he tweeted that ‘I am blowing the airport sky high!!’ unless the situation was resolved by the time of his flight. He was convicted of sending a message of a ‘menacing character’, but has had the conviction quashed on appeal, on the basis that, as it was a joke, it was not of a menacing character.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th July 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Twitter joke’ case only went ahead at insistence of DPP – The Guardian

“The director of public prosecutions (DPP) stopped his staff dropping the case against Paul Chambers, author of the ‘Twitter joke’ about blowing up Robin Hood airport in South Yorkshire, it has been claimed.”

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The Guardian, 29th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police protest tactics ‘give officers excessive and disproportionate control’ – The Guardian

“Pre-emptive arrests, confinement by kettling and the gathering of personal data give police officers ‘excessive and disproportionate’ control over public protests, a report by a coalition of police monitoring groups has warned.”

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The Guardian, 24th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Leveson does not want to impose ‘Ofcom-style’ statutory regulation – The Guardian

Posted July 24th, 2012 in freedom of expression, inquiries, media, news by tracey

“Lord Justice Leveson has revealed he will not impose tough Ofcom-style statutory regulation on newspapers, after almost nine months of evidence exposing what the newspaper industry has admitted were ‘appalling’ practices in the press.

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The Guardian, 23rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Protesters lose royal wedding High Court case – The Independent

” Royal wedding protesters have lost their High Court claim that they were the victims of unlawful searches and arrests.”

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The Independent, 18th July 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Leveson rebuffs newspaper industry’s plan for PCC’s successor – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2012 in freedom of expression, inquiries, media, news, ombudsmen by tracey

“The newspaper industry’s bid to get proposals for a successor to the Press Complaints Commission officially rubber-stamped have been rebuffed by Lord Justice Leveson.The judge told the chairman of the PCC, Lord Hunt of Wirral, that he would not be giving him a ‘green light’ for the proposed new authority as this was not within the remit of the inquiry.”

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The Guardian, 10th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The defamation bill will not stop the stifling of scientific free speech – The Guardian

Posted July 10th, 2012 in bills, defamation, freedom of expression, news by sally

“Libel law reformers miss the point when it comes to science: the proposed reforms are unlikely to make a jot of difference.”

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The Guardian, 9th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nature libel verdict ‘a victory for free speech’ – The Guardian

Posted July 9th, 2012 in defamation, freedom of expression, media, news, public interest by sally

“A theoretical physicist who sued the British science journal, Nature, had his case dismissed on Friday after a judge ruled that a news article that criticised him was responsible and honest journalism.”

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The Guardian, 6th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Libel reform campaigners demand better public interest defence – The Guardian

Posted June 28th, 2012 in bills, defamation, freedom of expression, news, public interest by sally

“Past defendants of libel claims, including Simon Singh and Ben Goldacre, say proposed changes would not have helped them.”

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The Guardian, 27th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Libel reform comes around less often than Halley’s comet. Let’s get it right – The Guardian

Posted June 27th, 2012 in defamation, freedom of expression, news, public interest by sally

“The defamation bill will do little to stop corporations suing individuals and should include a public interest defence.”

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The Guardian, 27th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

#WithoutPrejudice Special: #Twitterjoketrial with David Allen Green – Charon QC

Posted June 27th, 2012 in appeals, bomb hoaxing, freedom of expression, internet, podcasts by sally

“Welcome to this Without Prejudice Special on the Twitter Joke Trial with solicitor David Allen Green.”

Podcast

Charon QC, 26th June 2012

Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com

“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.

Twitter joke case returns to high court for fresh appeal by Paul Chambers – The Guardian

Posted June 27th, 2012 in appeals, bomb hoaxing, freedom of expression, internet, news by sally

“A two-and-a-half year legal battle over a ‘joke’ posted on Twitter that landed its author with a criminal record returns to the high court on Wednesday in front of the most senior judge in England and Wales.”

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The Guardian, 27th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Leniency for protest student – The Independent

Posted June 25th, 2012 in demonstrations, freedom of expression, news, punishment, universities by sally

“Owen Holland, the Cambridge PhD student suspended by Cambridge University for two and half years for a protest against cuts, had his sentence cut to one term yesterday.”

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The Independent, 23rd June 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Press Complaints Commission chair risks Leveson clash with reform plans – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2012 in complaints, freedom of expression, inquiries, media, news, ombudsmen, tribunals by sally

“Lord Hunt, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, risks a confrontation with Lord Justice Leveson next month when he is expected to present proposals for press reform aimed at sidestepping any fresh legislation.”

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The Guardian, 17th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Trimingham case is an example of value judgments obscuring legal ones – The Guardian

Posted May 29th, 2012 in evidence, freedom of expression, harassment, homosexuality, media, news, privacy by tracey

“While the judge’s reasons for finding against Trimingham are clear, the conclusions to be drawn for future harassment cases against the media are not.”

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The Guardian, 28th May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police denied TV footage of Dale Farm evictions – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 24th, 2012 in disclosure, evidence, freedom of expression, media, news, police, travellers by sally

“The police failed to satisfy the court that their need for footage taken by TV organisations was likely to be of substantial value to criminal investigations and therefore would be a justified interference with the rights of a free press under Article 10 of the Human Rights Convention.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th May 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

How do you insult someone legally? – BBC News

Posted May 18th, 2012 in freedom of expression, news, public order, threatening behaviour by sally

“Campaigners want to overturn laws targeting “insulting words and behaviour”. Just how safe is it to scorn others?”

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BBC News, 18th May 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dale Farm ruling hailed as a victory for press freedom – The Guardian

Posted May 17th, 2012 in disclosure, evidence, freedom of expression, media, news, travellers by sally

“News broadcasters have hailed the high court ruling that they should not disclose hours of footage of the Dale Farm eviction to police as a landmark victory for press freedom.”

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The Guardian, 17th May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Peace campaigner evicted from Parliament Square using new law – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 17th, 2012 in demonstrations, freedom of expression, London, news, repossession by sally

“On 27 April 2012, Maria Gallastegui, a peace campaigner and resident of the East pavement of Parliament Square since 2006, lost her legal battle to continue her 24 hour, tented vigil in protest against the folly of war and in particular the UK’s involvement in armed conflict.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 17th May 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com