Linehan tells court trans activists made his life 'hell'

Graham Linehan has told a court his life has been "made hell" by transgender activists, including one who he is accused of harassing.

Giving evidence on the second day of his trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, Mr Linehan said: "Trans activists have spent the last 10 years demonising anyone who stands up to them."

The prosecution alleges Mr Linehan "relentlessly" posted abusive comments about Sophia Brooks, 18, on social media last October, before throwing her phone in a road.

The Father Ted co-creator has pleaded not guilty to charges of harassment and criminal damage.

Mr Linehan told the court his "life was made hell by activists, by journalists" because of his views about gender identity, and the trial is "just the latest attempt to punish me by process".

He said: "Anyone can select themselves into that [transgender] group... predatory men are doing that, and police are doing their bidding... the police believe them at their every word."

The Irish comedy writer added: "I heard about how certain people who were being targeted by him [the complainant]. I'm in a group of eight people now who have suffered various forms of harassment."

Mr Linehan described the complainant as "misogynistic", "abusive" and a "bully" and said he wanted to "destroy" the activist's online anonymity.

"I felt he was able to get away with a lot of his activities because he was almost like a Twitter avatar floating around with no real connection to the earth," he told the court.

District Judge Briony Clarke said the prosecution addressed the complainant according to their "affirmed gender name", while the defendant's position was that the "complainant is male".

On Thursday, the trial heard that Mr Linehan posted messages on social media calling the complainant - whom he referred to as Tarquin - a "deeply disturbed sociopath" and a "domestic terrorist".

Asked on Friday why he used "sociopath", Mr Linehan replied: "Because the things he was involved in caused great misery to people."

Asked why he used other insults including "scumbag, grooming, homophobic, sadist", Mr Linehan replied: "I don't think there's anything lower than a man who bullies a woman."

Mr Linehan denied a suggestion from the prosecution that he had "become a bit obsessed with Ms Brooks".

Asked if he intended to incite any violent action, Mr Linehan replied: "No, because the violence and toxicity in the trans debate comes entirely from the trans side."

Mr Linehan also said his marriage had broken down after critics "went after my wife" and revealed he had moved to Arizona, USA, from the UK six months ago after being "isolated" because of his views.

"And whilst I was isolated, the press... were able to beat me up in the dark. That's been happening for about the last eight years. And I chose to leave the UK."

Prosecutors have said Mr Linehan harassed Ms Brooks on social media, accusing her of a "homophobic attack" by being involved in the disruption of an LGB Alliance conference on 11 October 2024 when thousands of live crickets were released.

His messages were "not merely irritating or annoying, but rather oppressive and unacceptable, thereby crossing the threshold into harassment", Julia Faure Walker, for the prosecution, said on Thursday.

Mr Linehan is also accused of damaging Ms Brooks's phone when she tried to confront him outside the Battle of Ideas conference in London on 19 October last year.

The prosecution alleged that Mr Linehan "deliberately whacked" Ms Brooks's phone out of her hand after she filmed him while challenging him over his previous posts.

A video played to the court appeared to show Mr Linehan grabbing the complainant's phone.

In his evidence, Mr Linehan said the complainant was "invading my personal space" at the event, and was being "incredibly annoying and persistent".

"My adrenaline was up. I felt angry," he said. "I took his phone, put it behind my back. I could see he was furious. Then I threw the phone."

He didn't want to damage the phone, he said. "I didn't slam it, I just skimmed it. It was instinctive. As soon as I did it I thought, that was a mistake."

There were heated exchanges during cross-examination when Mr Linehan demanded to know whether the prosecutor thought the complainant "is a female".

At one point, the judge called for a break because "the heat in here has risen, and I don't just mean the temperature".

After the conclusion of Friday's evidence, the case was adjourned until 29 October, with Mr Linehan released on bail.

This trial is not connected to the allegations that led to Mr Linehan's much-publicised arrest at Heathrow Airport on Monday.

He said he was met by five armed officers over messages he had previously posted about trans people on X, sparking a backlash from some public figures and politicians, and inflaming a fierce debate about policing and free speech.

In that case, he was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence, and has been bailed "pending further investigation".