A German pathology postgraduate student who hurled his shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in February has been cleared by a court of committing public order offence for want of evidence. District Judge Ken Sheraton told Martin Jahnke on Tuesday that there was not enough evidence to convict him of a public order offence,but warned him to watch his behaviour in the future. Sheraton was told that there was insufficient evidence to prove that he had behaved in a way likely to cause harassment,alarm or distress. Jahnke was found not guilty following a two-day trial at Cambridge Magistrate Court in eastern England. The 27-year-old Cambridge student disrupted Wen's speech on February 2 in London when he blew a whistle,accused the Chinese leader of being a dictator,and hurled his left sneaker at the premier. But the shoe missed its target. Jahnke,who moved to the UK after studying in Berlin,said he made a "legitimate protest" and had not intended to harm anyone. "I am very pleased with the result. I would like to thank all those members of the public who have supported me,including the Chinese community. I hope now attention can move away from me to the real issue of human rights in China." Jahnke told the court that he had been inspired by the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at President George W. Bush in December. Jahnke said that he had acted to "show solidarity" with Chinese people,and that he wore sneakers instead of heavier winter shoes to make sure he did not hurt anybody. He also said he intentionally missed. The judge told Jahnke that the verdict should not be seen as an indication that the court condoned his behaviour. Jahnke was charged with an offence contrary to section four of the Public Order Act 1986. If found guilty,he would have faced six months in prison and a 5,000 pounds fine as a maximum sentence.
