Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassment towards a trans activist however responsible of legal injury to their cellphone.
The 57-year-old comedy author, who had confronted trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket, denied each expenses linked to posts made on social media and a confrontation at a convention in London in October 2024.
Summarising her judgment, District Choose Briony Clarke began by saying it was not for the courtroom to choose sides within the debate about intercourse and gender identification.
She stated she discovered Linehan was a “generally credible witness” and gave the impression to be “genuinely frank and honest”, and that she was not glad his conduct amounted to the legal normal of harassment.
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Pic: Ben Whitley/ PA
The decide stated she accepted a few of complainant Sophia Brooks’ proof, however discovered they weren’t “entirely truthful” and never “as alarmed or distressed” as that they had portrayed themself to be following tweets posted by the comedy author.
Whereas Linehan’s feedback have been “deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary”, they weren’t “oppressive or unacceptable beyond merely unattractive, annoying or irritating”, the decide stated, and didn’t “cross the boundary from the regrettable to the unacceptable”.
Nevertheless, she did discover him responsible of legal injury, for throwing Brooks’s cellphone. Having seen footage of the incident, the decide stated she discovered he took the cellphone as a result of he was “angry and fed up”, and that she was “satisfied he was not using reasonable force”.
The decide stated she was “not sure to the criminal standard” that Linehan had demonstrated hostility based mostly on the complainant being transgender, and subsequently this didn’t irritate his offence.
He was ordered to pay a advantageous of £500, courtroom prices of £650 and a statutory surcharge of £200. The prosecution had requested the decide to contemplate a restraining order, however she stated she didn’t really feel this was vital.
Talking exterior courtroom after the listening to, Linehan stated he was happy with the decide’s findings.
“The judge found me and the women who gave evidence on my behalf to be credible, honest witnesses, and said that my actions were not criminal and did not constitute harassment,” he stated, addressing the harassment verdict however not the legal injury verdict.
He stated he was grateful to the Free Speech union “for their unwavering support” and defending those that “speak out”, and that he hoped the judgment would imply “people in future won’t be subject to those kind of tactics”.
What occurred in the course of the trial?
The author, identified for exhibits together with Father Ted, The IT Crowd and Black Books, had flown to the UK from Arizona, the place he now lives, to seem in courtroom in particular person.
He denied harassing Brooks on social media between 11 and 27 October final yr, in addition to a cost of legal injury of their cell phone on 19 October exterior the Battle of Concepts convention in Westminster.
The trial heard Brooks, who was 17 on the time, had begun taking images of delegates on the occasion throughout a speech by Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Intercourse Issues.
Giving proof in the course of the case, Linehan claimed his “life was made hell” by trans activists and accused Brooks, a trans lady, of being a “young soldier in the trans activist army”.
He instructed the courtroom he was “angry” and “threw the phone” after being filmed exterior the venue by the complainant, who had requested: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?”
Brooks instructed the courtroom Linehan had known as them a “sissy porn-watching scumbag”, a “groomer” and a “disgusting incel”, to which the complainant had responded: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.”
The prosecution claimed Linehan’s social media posts have been “repeated, abusive, unreasonable” whereas his lawyer accused the complainant of following “a course of conduct designed both to provoke and to harass Mr Linehan”.
She stated the offence of legal injury concerned a “momentary lapse of control”, and was a part of the “debate about gender identity, what it means”.
Vine stated it was vital “that those who are involved in the debate are allowed to use language that properly expresses their views without fear of excessive state interference for the expression of those views”.
She additionally stated the price of the case to Linehan had been “enormous”, telling the courtroom: “The damage was minor; the process itself has been highly impactful on Mr Linehan.”
She requested he be given 28 days to pay the complete quantity.
