An appeals court in Espoo has dropped most charges against a local chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.
The prosecutor had sought tougher sentences against 25 members of the gang. Instead the court ruled that none of them could be convicted of being members of a criminal organisation.
It said that the Helsinki chapter could not be considered an organisation set up to carry out serious crimes.
All charges were dropped against 11 of the defendants. The others were sentenced to two years or less in prison for assault, drugs and weapons offences.
