Graham Linehan, co-creator of “Father Ted,” allegedly engaged in a sustained campaign of abusive social media posts targeting a teenage transgender activist before forcibly taking her phone and throwing it into the street, a London court has heard.
The Irish comedy writer is standing trial on charges of harassment and criminal damage, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was presented with evidence that the 57-year-old allegedly used social media platforms to disseminate a series of “abusive and vindictive” messages concerning Sophia Brooks, 18.
According to court testimony, Mr. Linehan told police that his actions did not constitute harassment. He further asserted that exposing the tactics of trans activists was a matter of public interest and described his action of knocking the phone away as a “reflex response.”
This trial is separate from the allegations leading to Mr. Linehan’s arrest at Heathrow Airport earlier this week.
Mr. Linehan stated that he was met by armed officers regarding previous posts about transgender individuals on X, formerly Twitter. This incident sparked criticism from public figures and politicians, intensifying discussions on policing and free speech.
In that instance, he was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence and subsequently released on bail pending further investigation.
The trial that commenced on Thursday centers on allegations that Mr. Linehan harassed Ms. Brooks via social media last October. The prosecution further alleges that he damaged her phone when she attempted to confront him outside a conference.
Julia Faure Walker, leading the prosecution, stated that Mr. Linehan posted numerous tweets targeting Ms. Brooks, accusing her of a “homophobic attack” for allegedly participating in the disruption of an LGB Alliance conference on October 11, 2024, during which live crickets were released.
The court was informed that his posts included labeling the complainant – whom he referred to as Tarquin – as a “deeply disturbed sociopath” and a “domestic terrorist.”
Ms. Faure Walker argued that the messages were “not merely irritating or annoying, but rather oppressive and unacceptable, thereby crossing the threshold into harassment.”
On October 13, Mr. Linehan allegedly posted that the activist was “behind countless episodes of harassment of women and gay men both online and off,” and that “he is a deeply disturbed sociopath and I believe he had some involvement in Friday’s homophobic attack.”
Ms. Brooks testified that the LGB Alliance was a “hate group” that had “advocated for the eradication of trans rights.” However, the prosecution stated that the activist “wasn’t even inside the venue and there is no evidence she was involved” in the incident.
During her testimony, Ms. Brooks told the court that she “felt alarmed and distressed” and feared for her safety following Mr. Linehan’s posts.
“I was being branded as a deeply disturbed sociopath by a relatively famous person with over 500,000 followers – any of which could see Mr Linehan’s post and cause great harm to me,” she added.
The court was also presented with details of an encounter between the two at the Battle of Ideas conference eight days after the initial social media incidents.
Ms. Brooks stated that Mr. Linehan approached her at the conference, calling her a “groomer” and asking “how many kids” she’d groomed.
The prosecution alleged that a few hours later, Ms. Brooks confronted Mr. Linehan outside the venue, questioning why he had called her a “domestic terrorist.”
It is alleged that Mr. Linehan “deliberately whacked” Ms. Brooks’ phone out of her hand after she challenged him while filming.
A video played to the court purportedly showed Mr. Linehan grabbing the complainant’s phone.
The activist testified: “He grabbed my hand and forcibly ripped my phone out of it and then took my phone behind his back and refused to give it to me.” She further stated that he then threw it into the road.
Mr. Linehan’s lawyer, Sarah Vine KC, questioned Ms. Brooks, stating: “You spent that afternoon harassing women and then harassing Mr Linehan and you used your phone for the purposes of that.”
“Whatever damage there was to your phone, you cannot possibly be sure that was the result of what Mr Linehan did,” Ms. Vine added.
Prosecutors argued that the exchange included further insults, demonstrating Mr. Linehan’s “extreme personal animosity towards her.”
The court heard that Mr. Linehan, also known for creating TV sitcoms “The IT Crowd” and “Black Books,” provided a prepared statement during a cautioned interview on February 5.
Ms. Faure Walker stated: “He said, in summary, that he considered that the complainant – whom he referred to as Tarquin throughout the prepared statement – had harassed him by approaching him and filming him at close quarters.”
“He said he tried to ignore the complainant, the complainant provoked him and made a provocative statement, put the phone in his face, he grabbed the phone and threw it to the side, it was a reflex response.”
“In relation to the online posts, the defendant did not accept it amounted to harassment. As a journalist – as he described himself – he believed exposing tactics of trans activities was in the public interest.”
District Judge Briony Clarke noted that the prosecution addressed the complainant according to their “affirmed gender name,” while the defendant’s position was that the “complainant is male.”
The trial is ongoing.
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Graham Linehan was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence and bailed pending further investigation.