Latest news with #SophiaBrooks
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Father Ted and trans rights critic Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassing and smashing phone belonging to a transgender woman
Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has pleaded not guilty to harassing a transgender woman and damaging her phone. The Irish comedy writer, 56, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today to deny the charges of harassing Sophia Brooks on social media and damaging her mobile in October. The Bafta-winning writer, who also came up with TV sitcoms The IT Crowd and Black Books, has become a vocal critic of the trans rights movement in recent years. 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 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. The 56-year-old, who once dubbed himself 'the most hated man on the internet', told how jobs 'fell away' when he became embroiled in the transgender debate. He was banned in 2020 from Twitter after writing 'Men aren't women tho' before later being reinstated by X founder Elon Musk. A long-awaited Father Ted musical was then axed in 2022 because of the 56-year-old's controversial political opinions. When two venues cancelled his 2023 Edinburgh Fringe shows, the now-divorced Linehan opted to perform his set outside the Scottish Parliament. 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. Some supporters of the defendant were turned away from the court because of a shortage of seats. 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. It comes as Linehan last month praised the Supreme Court's decision to confirm that the word woman is based on biological sex, meaning trans women are legally not women. Linehan said trans women should be excluded from women's spaces as they were not women - a view that has now been backed up by the Supreme Court. But although he hailed the Supreme Court decision, he said the war on woke has only just begun. Speaking to MailOnline, Linehan described the moment he realised the judge had ruled in favour of biology - and revealed his hopes for his own comedy comeback. He said: 'I was in the courtroom. The judge said we had to respect the court and not have any reaction. 'When we heard it, you could feel the crackle go around the room. 'The moment the judge left, it just sunk in that we won after 10 years of fighting this nonsense. It's good news but this is only one issue in a lot of woke issues. 'The big problem we have is with TV commissioners. The artists are still out there but they have to get past these people who don't really care about art. They care about imposing their beliefs on people. 'If you look back at the 90s with Britpop, British art was famous round all over the world and there was a real sense of excitement. 'But over the last 10 years there's been a dearth of notable stuff. Because these people have tied their hands and feet together. 'It's all very safe - almost trying not to get noticed. 'If you can't say that reality is real, then you can't do jokes about reality. 'That's what all artists do. If you deny the truth of the exterior world, they can't do that. 'But I don't think we will forever be able to stop funny people being funny. People will get sick of it. 'There's going to be a fightback [against wokeness]. Young people are sick of the rules. I think it will naturally fade away and we will come back to freedom of speech.'
The National
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Graham Linehan denies harassing transgender woman
The Irish comedy writer, 56, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday to deny the charges of harassing Sophia Brooks on social media and damaging her mobile in October. 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. 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 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. Speaking outside of the court, Linehan 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.' 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.
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan vows to continue trans rights fight after pleading not guilty to hate crime charges
He is accused of abusing trans activist Sophia Brooks on social media and smashing her phone in October TRANS RAP Father Ted creator Graham Linehan vows to continue trans rights fight after pleading not guilty to hate crime charges Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FATHER Ted writer Graham Linehan vowed to continue criticising trans rights as he denied hate crime charges in court. The five-time Bafta award winner, 56, pleaded not guilty to harassment and criminal damage. He is accused of abusing trans activist Sophia Brooks on social media and smashing her phone in October. They are described by prosecutors as hate crimes — but Linehan remained defiant after his court appearance yesterday. He told supporters outside Westminster magistrates court: 'I have pleaded not guilty and will defend this case at trial. In doing so, there is far more at stake than my own name. 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 have lost a great deal but I am still here and I will not waver in my resolve.' The IT Crowd co-creator, who has also written for Brass Eye and The Fast Show, has a long-standing history of criticising the trans-rights movement. He has previously said that the charges relate to an incident at the Battle of Ideas conference in London last year. The Ireland-born writer was bailed at yesterday's hearing on the condition he does not contact his alleged victim. His trial was set for the same court on September 4. Dozens of supporters, many unable to get inside owing to a lack of space, greeted Linehan outside the court. He thanked them for the support, also urging people to join the Free Speech Union.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan vows to continue trans rights fight after pleading not guilty to hate crime charges
FATHER Ted writer Graham Linehan vowed to continue criticising trans rights as he denied hate crime charges in court. The five-time Bafta award winner, 56, pleaded not guilty to harassment and criminal damage. He is accused of abusing trans activist Sophia Brooks on social media and smashing her phone in October. They are described by prosecutors as hate crimes — but Linehan remained defiant after his court appearance yesterday. He told supporters outside Westminster magistrates court: 'I have pleaded not guilty and will defend this case at trial. In doing so, there is far more at stake than my own name. 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 have lost a great deal but I am still here and I will not waver in my resolve.' The IT Crowd co-creator, who has also written for Brass Eye and The Fast Show, has a long-standing history of criticising the trans-rights movement. He has previously said that the charges relate to an incident at the Battle of Ideas conference in London last year. The Ireland-born writer was bailed at yesterday's hearing on the condition he does not contact his alleged victim. His trial was set for the same court on September 4. Dozens of supporters, many unable to get inside owing to a lack of space, greeted Linehan outside the court. He thanked them for the support, also urging people to join the Free Speech Union. 1
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Graham Linehan says he has ‘lost a great deal' as he denies harassing transgender woman
Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has said he has 'lost a great deal' but 'will not waver in my resolve' as he faces trial accused of harassing a transgender woman. The 56-year-old Irish comedy writer appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Monday to deny two charges, one of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks (18) on social media and another of damaging her mobile in October. The Bafta-winning writer, who also came up with TV sitcoms The IT Crowd and Black Books, has become a vocal critic of the trans rights movement in recent years. He 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. READ MORE 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 19th. 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 11th and October 27th, and damaging her phone to the value of £369 (€439) on the day of the conference. Some supporters of the defendant were turned away from the courtroom 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 4th this year at the same court. He was freed on bail with the condition not to contact the complainant directly or indirectly.
