A comedian Peter Kay show at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena is halted after police report a suspected bomb hoax. Multiple outlets say the venue is evacuated on Friday night following concerns about a “potentially suspicious bag” around the arena. Kay is pulled off stage mid-performance as the audience is cleared.
West Midlands Police later take a 19-year-old man into custody in connection with the incident and charge him over false communications relating to the alleged hoax, according to reporting cited by the outlets. On Monday, the accused man appears at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. The Independent and Sky News report that he remonstrates and repeatedly speaks during the hearing, leading to him being removed from court. The Daily Mail also describes the court proceedings and that the man is ordered to go to the cells part-way through the hearing.
Other accounts add details of behaviour during the hearing, including court instructions for the accused to be quiet. Across reports, the case centres on the alleged false bomb hoax that disrupts the live event and prompts the evacuation of the arena.
