Crown Prosecution Service to appeal decision to throw out terror case against Kneecap rapper
CPS to appeal Kneecap ruling to clarify ‘important point of law’
- The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced it will appeal the chief magistrate's decision to dismiss a terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh.
- Ó hAnnaidh, performing as Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig in Kentish Town, north London, in November 2024.
- Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring threw out the charge in late September, ruling that it was "unlawful" and outside his jurisdiction.
- Mr Goldspring cited a technical error regarding the lack of Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions consent within the six-month statutory time limit.
- The CPS said that its appeal is based on the belief that an "important point of law which needs to be clarified".