Overview

• The Crown Prosecution Service said it will challenge Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring’s decision that the prosecution was unlawful and beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
• Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara of Kneecap, had been accused of displaying a flag supporting Hezbollah during a London performance in November 2024.
• The judge ruled the proceedings invalid after police issued a May 21 postal charge before required consent was obtained, with consent granted on May 22 and the charge therefore outside the statutory window.
• Attorney General Lord Hermer wrote to shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick urging him to avoid comments that could prejudice the pending appeal while emphasizing the CPS’s operational independence.
• In throwing out the case, the court said the CPS should pay the defendant’s legal costs because the proceedings were instituted unlawfully.