Graham Linehan, co-creator of the sitcom Father Ted, has received £25,000 in compensation and a formal apology from the Metropolitan Police following his arrest at Heathrow Airport last September. The arrest was prompted by three social media posts on X that the force deemed potentially inciting violence.
Linehan, 57, was detained by armed officers after a ten-hour flight from Arizona and held at a police station for 12 hours. The posts in question included a picture of a trans rally captioned “A photo you can smell,” a tweet saying “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em,” and a post advising, “if all else fails, punch him in the balls.” Linehan later described the remarks as a “bad joke” and denied any intent to encourage violence.
The Metropolitan Police acknowledged “shortcomings in the investigation, the arrest and the imposition of bail conditions,” according to a letter reported by The Times. A spokesperson said: “We recognise the considerable distress caused to Mr Linehan, and have offered our sincere apologies.” The force also noted that the case led to a policy change, with the Met no longer investigating non-crime hate incidents.
The arrest drew criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who described it as “thought-policing” and added: “Sending five officers to arrest a man for a tweet isn’t policing, it’s politics.” The investigation was dropped in October, and Linehan’s bail conditions, which had prevented him from posting on X, were lifted.
Last November, Linehan was cleared of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks on social media but found guilty of criminal damage to her mobile phone outside a London conference. However, the conviction for damaging the phone was later overturned on appeal. Linehan has thanked the Free Speech Union for their support.
