Comedy writer at center of UK free-speech row in court on harassment charge

LONDON (AFP) — Award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan, whose recent arrest reignited a U.K. row over freedom of speech, appeared in court Thursday to face separate charges over "abusive and vindictive" posts against a transgender person.

Irish writer Linehan, who co-created the popular 1990s sitcom "Father Ted," appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with criminal damage and harassing a transgender person, 18-year-old Sophia Brooks.

Prosecutor Julia Faure Walker told the court that Linehan, 57, posted online about Brooks "relentlessly" and that his behavior amounted to harassment.

The posts were "calculated to produce alarm or distress ... were verbally abusive and vindictive and reflected ... Mr. Linehan's deep disliking of Ms. Brooks," she added.

In the posts, Linehan accused Brooks of "domestic terrorism" and called the activist a "deeply-disturbed sociopath" and a "malignant narcissist," the court heard.

He also said that Brooks, who was 17 at the time of the posts, was "behind countless episodes of harassment of women and gay men both online and off."

"These posts were not merely irritating ... they were rather oppressive and unacceptable," Walker said.

When they met on the sidelines of a conference on Oct. 19, Linehan "deliberately whacked the phone out of Ms. Brooks' hand" as he was being filmed, she added.

Linehan, who sat with his arms crossed throughout the hearing, denies the charges.

The hearing came days after Linehan said he was arrested by five armed officers at London's Heathrow Airport over three other social media posts.

London's Metropolitan Police said a man was arrested Monday after arriving on a flight from the United States on suspicion of inciting violence in relation to posts on X.

In one of the posts, Linehan said that "if a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act."

"Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls," he said.

The arrest once again focused attention on the U.K.'s speech laws.

Linehan also co-created the popular sitcoms "Black Books" and "The IT Crowd," which was awarded both an Emmy and several BAFTAs.

More recently, he has become known for his gender-critical views, which emerged after an episode he wrote was criticized as being transphobic.

—

By Agence France-Presse