Overview

• The Father Ted writer is on trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for alleged harassment of trans woman Sophia Brooks and criminal damage to her phone.
• Video played in court appeared to show him seize the device and throw it into the road, with the repair cost estimated at £369.
• In a prepared police statement read in court, Linehan said he reacted reflexively to taunts about his divorce and close-range filming and argued his posts were in the public interest.
• Prosecutors described his posts as oppressive and targeted, citing derogatory labels such as “Tarquin” and “deeply disturbed sociopath” and claims linking Brooks to an LGB Alliance disruption without evidence.
• District Judge Briony Clarke set guidance on addressing the complainant by her affirmed name and rejected a defense bid of no case to answer, as coverage also noted Linehan’s separate Heathrow arrest over alleged inciting posts and his release on bail.