A case in London against the Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh for allegedly showing support for Lebanese militant group Hizbullah has been dismissed, with a court ruling that the charge had been brought too late.
On Friday morning Mr Ó hAnnaidh won an application to have the case thrown out over a delay in issuing the charge.
Judge Paul Goldspring dismissed the case at a hearing in Woolwich Crown Court.
It was alleged Mr Ó hAnnaidh draped himself in a Hizbullah flag at a London gig last November and shouted “up Hamas, up Hizbullah”, referring to the Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups respectively. Mr Ó hAnnaidh had been accused by British authorities of showing support for a proscribed organisation.
RM Block
Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara in the Belfast rap trio, had yet to enter a plea in the case, but he had publicly indicated that he intended to fight the charge.
At a previous hearing in August, his lawyers argued that the charge against him was issued a day beyond an official deadline. Prosecution lawyers denied this.
The judge had indicated that if Mr Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyers were shown to be correct, the case against him would be immediately dismissed on Friday.
If the jurisdiction ruling had gone against the Irish man, the case would have proceeded, and he would have had to enter a plea. Had he pleaded not guilty, a trial would have been set for a later date.
Friday’s hearing was moved to Woolwich Crown Court, in east London, following flooding at Westminster Magistrates Court, where the case had previously been scheduled.
