Graham Linehan faces trial for alleged harassment of transgender activist
The co-creator of Father Ted pleads not guilty to harassment and criminal damage charges at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, charged with harassing an 18-year-old transgender activist and damaging her phone.
The court heard that Linehan, 57, used social media last October to post a sustained series of offensive tweets about campaigner Sophia Brooks, describing her as a "deeply disturbed sociopath" and a "domestic terrorist". Prosecutor Julia Faure Walker said these posts went beyond mere annoyance and constituted oppressive harassment.
According to the prosecution, the two first met at the Battle of Ideas conference on 19 October 2024, where Linehan allegedly knocked Ms Brooks’s phone from her hand when she confronted him while recording his remarks. He later tweeted that he was "proud" of the damage caused.
Linehan, known for creating The IT Crowd and Black Books, denies the charges of harassment and criminal damage. The trial is separate from his recent arrest at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence over comments about transgender people.
The case underscores the growing legal and public debate over the line between free expression and harassment online, especially concerning transgender rights.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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