Graham Linehan's conviction for damaging trans activist's phone overturned
Graham Linehan's conviction for criminal damage related to a trans activist's phone has been overturned on appeal. The court ruled there was insufficient evidence to confirm he caused the damage, despite prior conviction. The case intensified debate over policing, free speech, and bias in the justice system.
- ▪Graham Linehan was originally convicted in November for damaging Sophia Brooks' phone outside the Battle of Ideas conference.
- ▪The appeal court found there was no contemporaneous evidence proving the phone was damaged by Linehan.
- ▪Sophia Brooks did not report phone damage until weeks after the incident, initially citing harassment instead.
- ▪Linehan criticized the police for failing to conduct a fair investigation and accused them of biased, two-tier policing.
- ▪The case was separate from a prior investigation into Linehan's online posts, which the Metropolitan Police dropped in October.
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Graham Linehan's conviction for damaging trans activist's phone overturned5 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHelen BushbyandIan Youngs,Culture reportersPA MediaGraham Linehan is known for writing Father Ted, Black Books and The IT CrowdFather Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has had his conviction for damaging a transgender activist's mobile phone overturned.Last November, Linehan was convicted of criminal damage, but was cleared of harassing Sophia Brooks on social media.The criminal damage case related to a confrontation between Linehan and Brooks in October 2024, outside the Battle of Ideas conference in London.At the end of an appeal hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court on Friday, Justice Amanda Tipples said: "Having considered all the evidence before us, we cannot be…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at BBC News — Entertainment.