Father Ted creator Graham Linehan allegedly “deliberately whacked” a phone out of a transgender activist’s hand, a court has heard.
The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer is on trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court. He denies a charge of harassing trans woman Sophia Brooks, 18, on social media between 11-27 October 2024 and also denied a charge of criminal damage to her mobile phone, to the value of £369, on 19 October 2024.
The court was told that Mr Linehan and the activist met for the first time outside the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster on 19 October 2024.
While filming outside the venue, Ms Brooks approached Mr Linehan and asked: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?”
Video shown in court on Thursday (4 September) appeared to show Mr Linehan grabbing Ms Brooks’ phone.
Prosecutor Julia Faure Walker said: “He deliberately whacked the phone out of Ms Brooks’ hand”, adding that it caused damage to the device.
Mr Linehan’s lawyer, Sarah Vine KC, told Ms Brooks: “You spent that afternoon harassing women and then harassing Mr Linehan and you used your phone for the purposes of that.
“Whatever damage there was to your phone, you cannot possibly be sure that was the result of what Mr Linehan did.”
