Irish writer Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassment charges after a ruling at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 25th. The co-creator of beloved sitcom Father Ted was found guilty of criminal damage, however, after he snatched a trans activist’s mobile phone when it was pushed in Linehan’s face.
District Judge Briony Clarke called Linehan’s social media posts “deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary,” but ruled they did not amount to harassment.
The writer was fined £500 (€569) and told to pay court costs of £650 (€740) and a statutory surcharge of £200 (€227) for the damage to the phone.
Linehan will now appeal this conviction, which arose from a confrontation with the cross-dressing male campaigner calling himself Sonia Brooks at the Battle of Ideas festival in 2024. He thanked the Free Speech Union for its help in preparing his defence case.
While trans activists like Brooks appear to be working alongside the UK authorities against Linehan, charges were dropped following his recent arrest by armed police at London’s Heathrow Airport.
