Graham Linehan has been awarded a £25,000 settlement from the Metropolitan Police following his arrest last year over social media posts concerning transgender issues.
The 58-year-old Irish comedy writer was apprehended by Met officers at Heathrow Airport in September, after arriving from Arizona, on suspicion of inciting violence through three posts he made on X. The investigation into these posts was subsequently dropped in October, with Mr Linehan stating his intention to "hold the police accountable".
A settlement has now been reached in the civil claim, and four officers involved have undergone "learning through reflection," a non-disciplinary process designed to address minor performance issues.
In a statement released on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Met said: "We recognise the considerable distress caused to Mr Linehan, and have offered our sincere apologies. This case prompted a significant change, which means the Met no longer investigates non-crime hate incidents.
“We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations."
The force had previously apologised to Mr Linehan in May.
The controversial arrest drew criticism from figures including Conservative politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Mr Linehan was previously cleared of harassing transgender campaigner Sophia Brooks with a series of social media posts. A conviction for damaging a mobile phone was also overturned on appeal.
Following the dropping of the investigation, Mr Linehan posted on X: "With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender-critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men."
Linehan created or-co-created a number of high-profile sitcoms including Father Ted, Black Books, The IT Crowd and Count Arthur Strong.
