This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

A Polish judge has found a death metal singer not guilty of offending religious feeling, ruling that his act of ripping up a Bible during a show was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of his band.

Adam Darski, who goes by the stage name Nergal and is the frontman for Behemoth, was charged after he tore up the book during a 2007 concert in Gdynia, in northern Poland.

He had been cleared by a court last year but prosecutors appealed that verdict. Concert video footage showed Darski throwing the torn pages to the audience and asking fans to burn them.

According to the Polish news agency PAP, he also called the Bible "a deceitful book" and the church a "criminal sect" – strong language in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski, in issuing his ruling, said it considered Darski's actions "a form of art" consistent with the style of his band. He added that the court had no intention of limiting freedom of expression or the right to criticise religion.

The court said audience members who testified said their religious feelings had not been hurt despite the fact they were Christians.

The musician said on his band's website that he was pleased with the verdict.

"I'm so glad to see that intelligence won over religious fanatics in my home country. Tho [sic] there's still so much work to be done to make things right," he wrote in English under his stage name.

The 34-year-old was not present in court. A celebrity in his homeland, he has been largely out of the public eye for months. According to the website, Darski was diagnosed with leukaemia last summer and has been undergoing chemotherapy after a bone marrow transplant.