Trainee accountant found guilty of sending “menacing” messages over Twitter, is to attempt to appeal his conviction before the High Court
Paul Chambers, who was found guilty of sending “menacing” messages over Twitter, is to attempt to appeal his conviction to the high court.

A statement released today by Prieskel and Co solicitors stated:

Our client Paul Chambers has decided today to proceed with a High Court challenge to his conviction under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003. Paul was convicted on 10 May 2010 by Doncaster Magistrates’ Court and his appeal was turned down by Doncaster Crown Court on 11 November 2010.

Paul has instructed David Allen Green, head of media law at Preiskel & Co, and Ben Emmerson QC of Matrix Chambers, one of the UK’s leading human rights and criminal lawyers, for this challenge. Stephen Ferguson of 2 Bedford Row and Sarah Przybylska of 2 Hare Court, who appeared at the Crown Court hearing, also continue to be instructed.

John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship, which campaigns for free expression in the UK and internationally, commented: “Paul Chambers conviction for a simple joke was a travesty, and a prime example of how UK courts actively rule against free expression. Index on Censorship fully supports his appeal, and would urge the British public to get behind him.

Chambers’s case attracted huge international attention, and support from high-profile tweeters including Stephen Fry and comedy writer Graham Linehan.

Read Graham Linehan writing exclusively for Index on the Twitter Joke case here

If you wish to donate to Paul Chambers’s legal fund, click here