Westminster Magistrates’ Court has delivered a split verdict in the case against television writer Graham Linehan, finding him guilty of damaging a trans activist’s mobile phone whilst clearing him of harassment charges.
The 57-year-old, known for creating the comedy series Father Ted, faced trial over incidents involving trans woman Sophia Brooks during October 2024.
The charges stemmed from a confrontation outside a London conference venue on 19 October, where the mobile phone damage occurred.
Prosecutors also alleged Linehan had harassed Brooks through social media posts between October 11 and 27, 2024, though the court ultimately rejected this charge.
Graham Linehan appeared in court on Tuesday
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During the incident, Ms Brooks had approached Mr Linehan whilst filming and asked: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?”
The court heard that Mr Linehan responded angrily and threw Ms Brooks’s phone.
Ms Brooks testified that Mr Linehan had called them a “sissy porn-watching scumbag”, a “groomer” and a “disgusting incel”. The activist had retorted: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.”
Mr Linehan admitted in court that he was “angry” when the incident occurred and confirmed he “threw the phone” after Ms Brooks began recording him outside the conference venue.
Graham Linehan arriving at court
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Testifying in his defence, Mr Linehan stated that his “life was made hell” by trans activists and described Brooks as a “young soldier in the trans activist army”.
He maintained his innocence on both counts throughout the proceedings.
The prosecution argued that Linehan’s online posts were “repeated, abusive, unreasonable”, whilst his legal representative countered that Ms Brooks had pursued “a course of conduct designed both to provoke and to harass Mr Linehan”.
Despite denying both the harassment allegations and the criminal damage charge, the court found sufficient evidence to convict Linehan of damaging Brooks’s mobile phone during their October confrontation.
Graham Linehan was cleared of harassment
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Prosecutors argued that Mr Linehan’s online posts constituted “repeated, abusive, unreasonable” behaviour towards Ms Brooks.
However, the defence countered that the activist had engaged in “a course of conduct designed both to provoke and to harass Mr Linehan”.
The court heard conflicting accounts from both parties about the nature of their interactions, with each side presenting evidence to support their version of events during the October 2024 incidents.
The charges stemmed from events in October 2024, with prosecutors alleging that Mr Linehan engaged in online harassment of Ms Brooks over a 16-day period.
The physical confrontation that led to the criminal damage charge occurred on October 19, 2024, falling within the timeframe of the alleged online harassment.
Mr Linehan maintained his innocence on both counts throughout the legal proceedings.