The 57-year-old comedy writer, who was on trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, denied both charges linked to a confrontation at a conference in London in October 2024.
Giving evidence during the case, Linehan claimed his “life was made hell” by trans activists and accused trans woman Sophia Brooks of being a “young soldier in the trans activist army”.
He told the court he was “angry” and “threw the phone” after being filmed outside the venue by the complainant, who had asked: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?”
Sophia Brooks told the court that Linehan had called them a “sissy porn-watching scumbag”, a “groomer” and a “disgusting incel”, to which the complainant had responded: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.”
The prosecution claimed Linehan’s social media posts were “repeated, abusive, unreasonable” while his lawyer accused the complainant of following “a course of conduct designed both to provoke and to harass Mr Linehan”.
Linehan denied harassing the activist on social media between 11 October and 27 October 2024, and criminal damage to their mobile phone on 19 October of the same year.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the latest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
