Father Ted creator Graham Linehan cleared of harassing trans activist but guilty of phone damage
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassing trans activist Sophia Brooks on social media in October 2024, after the judge found him to be a "generally credible witness", but he was found guilty of damaging Brooks' phone last year.
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has been cleared of harassing a trans activist on social media, but he was found guilty of damaging their phone.
The 57-year-old comedy writer had previously denied harassing trans activist Sophia Brooks, from October 11th to 27th 2024, and damaging their phone outside the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster on October 19th, 2024.
On Tuesday (25.11.25), at Westminster Magistrates' Court, District Judge Briony Clarke was not satisfied The IT Crowd co-creator's conduct on social media had amounted to harassment, admitting she found him to be a "generally credible witness" and said he was "genuinely frank and honest".
The judge didn't accept Brooks' evidence "entirely".
But Linehan was found guilty of criminal damage for throwing Brooks' phone.
According to Sky News, the judge said: "The footage (of the incident) shows that just before phone is taken the defendant is angry and I found that he took the phone because he was angry and fed up.
"I am therefore satisfied he was not using reasonable force and therefore find him guilty of criminal damage."
Linehan now lives in Arizona, in the US, but he appeared in court in person on Tuesday.
During the trial, he said his life had been "made hell" by trans activists.
He claimed Brooks - a trans woman who was born a biological male - was a "young soldier in the trans activist army".
The prosecution alleged Linehan's social media posts were "repeated, abusive, unreasonable".
The pair met for the first time outside the Battle of Ideas conference, where Brooks asked Linehan: "Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?"
A row ensued, and Linehan grabbed Brooks' phone and chucked it.
During the trial, the Black Books co-creator was asked why he threw the phone, and he replied: "My adrenaline was up, I was angry. I guess that feels like surrender, so I threw it away.
"I didn’t slam it, I just skimmed it. It was instinctive - as soon as I did it, I thought that was a mistake."
