Comedy writer Graham Linehan has pleaded not guilty to allegations of criminal damage and harassment of a trans activist.
The Irish comedy writer, 56, is accused of damaging a £369 mobile phone belonging to Sophia Brooks during a confrontation at the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster on October 19 last year.
Linehan is also accused of harassing the same alleged victim between October 11 and 27 last year, allegedly by “posting abusive comments about her on social media”.
The Bafta-winning writer, who has sitcoms The IT Crowd, Father Ted, Black Books, and Motherland in his catalogue of works, stood in front of the dock at Westminster magistrates court to face the charges for the first time.
He confirmed his name and date of birth, before saying “not guilty” twice when the charges were put to him.
After the hearing, Linehan - wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Trans women are not women’ - was greeted with applause from supporters as he left the courthouse.
He thanked the Free Speech Union for its backing, and said of his trial: “There’s far more at stake than my own name”.
Linehan said he has faced “harassment, abuse, and threats” in the last six years, but he added: “I’m still here. I’ve lost a great deal, but I will not waver in my resolve.”
Ahead of the court appearance, he signalled his intention to fight the charges and asked for supporters to join him for the hearing.
More people came to court than the designated hearing room could handle, forcing some to wait outside.
Deputy District Judge Louise Balmain ordered that the trial take place over two days on September 4 and 5.
News broke at the end of April that Linehan had been charged with harassment without violence and criminal damage to property valued at under £5000.
Linehan is a vocal critic of the trans rights movement, and he has spoken in recent years about how his activism derailed his showbiz career.
In 2023, he recalled in his book titled Tough Crowd: How I Made And Lost A Career In Comedy, that he lost his career after he “championed an unfashionable cause”.
Reacting to news of the criminal case, he suggested the allegations are “part of a long history of the police acting as a goon squad for trans rights activists”, adding: “I look forward to exposing him and them in court."
He went on to post videos from the Battle of Ideas event, and highlighted that the day included a “panel discussion on violence against women”.
The court heard the trial is likely to hear about Linehan’s lengthy history of activism and disputes with the trans community.
He was set free by the judge on conditional bail, with an order not to contact the complainant in the case.
Linehan, of Southwark, hurried to the men’s toilets as soon as the hearing had finished, to change into a white t-shirt featuring a printed Daily Telegraph newspaper front page about the recent landmark Supreme Court ruling on women’s rights, which featured the headline ‘Trans women are not women’.
