Linehan found guilty only of minor criminal damage after knocking a phone from a transgender activist’s hand during a London conference.
London court on Tuesday cleared Emmy award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan of online harassment against a transgender activist, while convicting him of criminal damage for knocking a phone out of the activist’s hand.
Linehan, co-creator of the 1990s sitcom Father Ted and more recently known for his gender-critical views, had been accused of sending “abusive and vindictive” messages to Sophia Brooks on social media.
District Judge Briony Clarke ruled that Linehan’s online conduct did not amount to harassment, describing it as “merely unattractive, annoying, or irritating.” Clarke also found that Brooks was not “as alarmed and distressed as they portrayed themself to be.”
However, the court convicted Linehan of criminal damage, noting that he was “angry and fed up” when the phone was taken and did not use “reasonable force.” He was fined £500 ($655), ordered to pay £650 in costs, and a statutory surcharge of £200.
Linehan, who also co-created Black Books and The IT Crowd, has been at the center of free speech debates in Britain over his anti-transgender stance. Earlier this year, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport over allegations of inciting violence via social media posts but was later cleared by prosecutors in October.