No-one would have taken it seriously, says accountant who threatened to blow up airport

Paul Chambers, 26, was found guilty of sending a menacing electronic communication by a district judge at Doncaster Magistrates' Court in May.

Chambers, from Doncaster, claimed he sent the Tweet to his 600 "followers" in a moment of frustration after nearby Robin Hood Airport was closed by snow in January.

He was ordered to pay a 385 fine, a 15 victim surcharge and 600 costs.

The Tweet he sent in the early hours of January 6 said: "Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your s*** together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!"

At Doncaster Crown Court today, Stephen Ferguson, for Chambers, argued that the conviction should be quashed because the Tweet was simply not "menacing".

Mr Ferguson said that even the police officer investigating the case branded it a "foolish comment posted on Twitter as a joke for only his close friends to see".

He said the prosecution had failed to prove that his client had any intention to threaten anyone or that he thought there was any risk someone would interpret the Tweet in this way.

The barrister said the final ground of appeal was that Twitter was not a "public electronic communications network" within the meaning of the relevant law.

The court heard that the Tweet was discovered when an airport manager, who was not a Twitter member, searched for "Robin Hood Airport" on the Twitter site.