Graham Linehan's Conviction for Damaging Trans Activist's Phone Overturned

Graham Linehan, co-creator of Father Ted, had his conviction for criminal damage overturned on appeal. The case stemmed from an October 2024 confrontation outside the Battle of Ideas conference in London, where Linehan allegedly damaged the phone of transgender activist Sophia Brooks. At Southwark Crown Court, Justice Amanda Tipples ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove Linehan caused the damage, noting that Brooks did not report phone damage until November 7, 2024, and that no contemporaneous evidence showed the phone's condition before or after the incident. Linehan had been convicted in November 2024 but acquitted of harassing Brooks on social media. The appeal court viewed footage of the incident but found it inconclusive. Linehan criticized the police for bias, while Brooks respected the legal process. This case is separate from Linehan's arrest at Heathrow Airport in September 2024 on suspicion of inciting violence, which was later dropped.