Linehan says he has ‘lost a great deal' as he denies harassing transgender woman
The Bafta-winning writer, who also came up with TV sitcoms The IT Crowd and Black Books, has become a strong vocal critic of the trans rights movement in recent years.
The 56-year-old sat in seats in front of the dock wearing glasses, a white shirt, grey suit jacket and grey jeans, and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and to deny the charges.
Outside court after the short hearing, he wore a T-shirt with a picture of a Daily Telegraph front page with the headline 'Trans women are not women', and said: 'For six years, ever since I began defending the rights of women and children against a dangerous ideology, I have faced harassment, abuse and threats.
'I've lost great deal, but I am still here, and I will not waver in my resolve.'
Linehan, who created Father Ted in the 1990s with fellow Irish writer Arthur Mathews, said in a post on X in April that the allegations were related to an incident at the Battle of Ideas conference in London on October 19.
Court documents show Linehan is charged with harassing the alleged victim, a transgender activist, by posting abusive comments about her on social media between October 11 and October 27, and damaging her phone to the value of £369 on the day of the conference.
Some supporters of the defendant were turned away from the court room because of a shortage of seats and dozens of them posed for a photograph with Linehan after the hearing.
Deputy District Judge Louise Balmain told Linehan his trial would take place on September 4 this year at the same court.
He was freed on bail with the condition not to contact the complainant directly or indirectly.
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