The Metropolitan Police have announced they will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents, following the case of comedian Graham Linehan. The Father Ted co-creator was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September by five armed officers on suspicion of inciting violence over social media posts about transgender issues.
Linehan confirmed on Monday that the Crown Prosecution Service had dropped the case, but stated his intention to sue the Met for wrongful arrest and breach of his human rights. He said: 'The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action... With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable.'
The Met Police said in a statement: 'We understand the concern around this case. The commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates... As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents.' The force will continue to record such incidents for intelligence purposes but will focus on criminal investigations.
Linehan was arrested over three tweets, including one that read: 'If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act... punch him in the balls.' The Free Speech Union has instructed lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest on his behalf.
