"Judge Goldspring had agreed with O hAnnaidh's lawyers that prosecutors needed to seek the Attorney General's permission to charge the rapper before informing him on May 21 that he would be charged with a terror offence. This permission was sought and given the following day, which the court heard meant the charge fell outside the six-month time frame in which criminal charges against a defendant can be brought."
"In a judgment on Wednesday, two judges at the High Court upheld the decision and dismissed the CPS appeal. The case was thrown out in September last year, with chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruling the proceedings were 'instituted unlawfully'."
"Asked during a visit to Belfast about the decision to bring the case against the group member, Mr Starmer said: 'My views on Kneecap are very well known in relation to what they stand for and what they say, which is completely intolerable. I think the CPS were obviously subject to the High Court decision and they will be looking at the judgment very carefully.'"
Kneecap rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh faced terror charges for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert in November 2024. A chief magistrate initially ruled the proceedings unlawful, and the CPS appealed this decision at the High Court. Two judges upheld the original ruling and dismissed the CPS appeal, finding that prosecutors failed to obtain Attorney General permission before informing the defendant of charges, placing the case outside the required six-month timeframe for bringing criminal charges. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the CPS would examine the judgment carefully, while maintaining his opposition to the group's views.
Read at Irish Independent
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