'I am Spartacus': Twitterers get in a flap over Doncaster airport bomb hoaxer

Paul Chambers, 27, was found guilty of sending a menacing electronic communication by a district judge at Doncaster Magistrates' Court earlier this year and is now facing a 3,000 bill after losing his appeal yesterday.

Chambers, from Northern Ireland, had written on Twitter in January: "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!"

He told the court the message was sent in a moment of frustration after the airport in Doncaster, south Yorkshire, was closed by snow shortly before he was due to take a flight and was never meant to have been taken seriously.

Thousands of people have now re-posted, or "retweeted", his original message, marking it with #IAmSpartacus, in a reference to the 1960s film where slaves claimed they were Spartacus to save the life of the gladiator.

The #IAmSpartacus "hashtag" became the most popular phrase used on Twitter in the UK during the day, and was one of the biggest so-called "trending topics" worldwide. Second in the UK was #twitterjoketrial, which supporters of Chambers have also been attaching to their messages.

Celebrities including Peep Show actor David Mitchell, writer India Knight and comedian Dara O'Briain were among those repeating the message, with Mitchell later writing on his own page: "Genuine threats are serious but no one could EVER have thought Chambers' tweet a genuine threat.

"He's being punished for levity."

Avid Twitter user Stephen Fry has already offered to pay Chambers' legal fees, writing personally to him on the site: "My offer still stands. Whatever they fine you, I'll pay."

Chambers said today that he could not comment either on the legal case or the reaction to it on Twitter, but was said to be "disappointed and taking legal advice" following yesterday's decision and is now considering his options.

At the Doncaster Crown Court hearing, Judge Jacqueline Davies ruled the message was menacing, saying: "We take the view an ordinary person seeing this would see it in that way and be alarmed.

"The airport staff did see it and were sufficiently concerned to report it."

Following his conviction Chambers was ordered to pay a 385 fine and 15 victim surcharge. Yesterday, Chambers, who is now unemployed, was also ordered to pay 2,600 prosecution costs.

Chambers had been planning to fly to Belfast on January 15 to meet a woman he met through Twitter when he sent the message to all of his followers.