Father Tedco-creatorGraham Linehanhas had his conviction fordamaging a transgender activist’s mobile phoneoverturned, following an appeal hearing atSouthwark Crown Court.
Linehan, 57, wasfound guilty of criminal damageafter aconfrontation with Sophia Brooksoutside the Battle Of Ideas conference in Westminster on 19 October 2024.
However, Mrs Justice Amanda Tipples ruled on Friday that his conviction for criminal damage should be overturned.
Linehan, who attended the two-day hearing at Southwark Crown Court in person, smiled and turned to supporters sitting in the public gallery when the verdict was handed down.
The judge, who was assisted in the proceedings by two magistrates, said: “Having considered all the evidence before us, we cannot be sure that the damage to the complainant’sphonewas caused by Mr Linehan on the evening of the 19th of October 2024.
“We therefore found Mr Linehan not guilty of the offence.”
Ms Brooks, who was aged 17 at the time of the incident, told the appeal hearing on Friday that she approached Linehan and began recording him because she wanted “an apology and explanation” from him.
The comedy writer, now known for his outspoken views against transgender rights, had called her a “domestic terrorist” on social media, the court heard.
Advertisement
“I wanted a response. I wanted to know why he thought it was acceptable to call teenagers a domestic terrorist, and to shame him into an apology,” Ms Brooks said.
Linehan’s lawyer Sarah Vine KC, cross-examining Ms Brooks, told the complainant her purpose in approaching and filming Linehan was to “provoke a reaction”.
Ms Brooks denied that, saying: “I wanted to shame him, not upset him, and not in the hope of a reaction – in the hope of an apology or an explanation, or both.”
During their confrontation outside the conference, Linehan was recorded calling Ms Brooks a “sissy porn-watching scumbag”, a “groomer” and a “disgusting incel”, to which Ms Brooks replied: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.”
Another video played in court on Thursday appeared to show Linehangrabbing or slapping the complainant’s phone out of her hands.
Last November, District Judge Briony Clarke also cleared Linehan of harassing Ms Brooks with a series of social media posts before and after the incident.
She said his posts were “deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary”, but did not amount to “oppressive” conduct.
The Bafta-winning writer was accused of harassment for branding Ms Brooks a “domestic terrorist”, a “groomer” and an “incel” in social media posts too.
