Father Ted writer Graham Linehan cleared of harassing transgender activist

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassing a transgender activist on social media but found guilty of criminal damage of their mobile phone outside a conference in London last year.

The 57-year-old flew in from Arizona to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in person on Tuesday where judgment was delivered by District Judge Briony Clarke.

Linehan denied harassing Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19 last year outside the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster.

Reading a summary of her judgment, the judge said she was not satisfied that Linehan’s conduct amounted to harassment or that the complainant was as distressed as they made themselves out to be.

She said that Linehan had not tagged the activist in his social media posts, bar one, and that while his comments were “deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary”, they were not “oppressive or unacceptable beyond merely unattractive, annoying or irritating”.

But the judge found that Linehan had taken Brooks’ phone because he was “angry and fed up”, and had damaged it by knocking it to the ground.

She said that while the offence was not aggravated by the fact the complainant is transgender, it was because they were 17 years old at the time.

Linehan was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £650 and a surcharge of £200.

His lawyer Sarah Vine KC said that they intend to apply for permission to appeal against the conviction.

The trial heard that Brooks had begun taking photographs of delegates at the event during a speech by Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters.

Outside the event, the activist asked Linehan: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?”

In response, the court heard that Linehan had called Brooks a “sissy porn-watching scumbag”, a “groomer” and a “disgusting incel”, with the complainant responding: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.”

Prosecutor Julia Faure Walker told the court that Linehan had written “repeated, abusive, unreasonable” social media posts about Brooks, who he referred to as Tarquin.

The comedy writer, who has well-publicised strong views on gender issues, said his “life was made hell” by trans activists, adding that the complainant was a “young soldier in the trans activist army”.

The writer added: “He was misogynistic, he was abusive, he was snide.

“He depended on his anonymity to get close to people and hurt them, and I wanted to destroy that anonymity.”

After Linehan was convicted of criminal damage, Ms Vine told the court: “The costs to him have been enormous.

“The offence of which he has been convicted was, as you’ve found, a momentary lapse of control.

“It was the culmination of circumstances where the complainant’s conduct, either in respect of Mr Linehan or more widely, could not be described as beyond reproach.”

She added: “The damage was minor. The process itself has been highly impactful on Mr Linehan.”

The prosecution invited the court to consider making a restraining order but this was rejected.