Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan is set to appear in court after being accused of harassing a transgender woman.
On Tuesday, the comedy writer claimed was arrested by armed police at Heathrow Airport after posting three “anti-trans” tweets.
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The 57-year-old said he was detained as soon as he disembarked a plane coming in from Arizona, and was “arrested like a terrorist”.
He claimed he was escorted to hospital because the stress caused his blood pressure to skyrocket at the airport.
The arrest has sparked debate – with opposition politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who have criticised the move.
Linehan has previously denied harassing trans activist Sophia Brooks and a further charge of damaging her phone in October.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today for the start of his trial.
Linehan said in a post on X in April that the allegations related to an incident at the Battle of Ideas conference in London on October 19.
According to court documents, he is charged with harassing the alleged victim by posting abusive comments about her.
The comments are said to have been posted on social media between October 11 and October 27.
And the damage to her phone to the value of £369 was said to have been done on the day of the conference.
Linehan, who created Father Ted with fellow writer Arthur Mathews, said he has “lost a great deal” but “will not waver in my resolve”.
In his blog, he wrote that he said to officers, some of whom were Father Ted fans: “Don’t tell me! You’ve been sent by trans activists.”
The IT Crowd co-creator added: “The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting.
“Not one, not two – five. They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three tweets.
“I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to hospital because the stress nearly killed me.
“And I was banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers.
“To me, this proves one thing beyond doubt: the UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.”
Linehan shared a photo seemingly from hospital and screenshots of his tweets.
Speaking out on his arrest, JK Rowling wrote on X: “What the f*** has the UK become?
“This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.”
He had previously criticised the Harry Potter author for not speaking out for him during backlash over his views.
One tweet he alleges he was arrested over read: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act.
“Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
Another tweet was a picture of a trans demonstration and he wrote above it: “A photo you can smell.”
The third was a follow up which read: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”
The comedian said he has a bail condition banning him from X.
Piers Morgan called the arrest “absolutely ridiculous”.
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He wrote on X: “Five armed cops arresting him at Heathrow for tweets mocking the scandal of biological men invading women’s spaces?
“When it comes to free speech, Britain’s turning into North Korea.”
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said his officers are in “an impossible position” when dealing with online statements.
He was backed by the Health Secretary, who said legislation could be changed if the law was not also balanced with free speech.
Wes Streeting said: “We want to see people being kept safe by policing streets, not just policing tweets.
“The police enforce the laws of the land we as legislators provide.
“So if we’re not getting the balance right, then that’s something we have to look at.”
But as the backlash grows, Tory MP Neil O’Brien said the country is a “total laughing stock”.
Labour MP Jonathan Hinder called for a “serious reset to get the priorities right”.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described the incident as “ridiculous and a complete waste of police time”.
Linehan, who has written for Brass Eye and The Fast Show, has a long-standing history of criticising the trans-rights movement.
Rowling has also come under fire for comments made in the past towards trans people.
In 2020, the esteemed author slammed the growing trend of replacing “biological sex” with “gender identity”.
Her stance, that declared “sex is real”, led to death threats, but also moulded her into a figurehead for the “gender-critical” movement.
Activists accused her of transphobia in 2020 when replying to an article with the headline: “Opinion: Creating a more equal post Covid-19 world for people who menstruate.”
She tweeted: “‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people.
“Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Her remarks led to criticism from Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, who ignored the fact her books had made them famous to launch a string of attacks.
It was Rowling’s beloved group For Women Scotland which also launched a long-running legal battle with the Scottish government over how a “woman” was defined in Scottish law.
The Scottish government had argued people with gender recognition certificates (GRCs) should be protected from sex-based discrimination, meaning a transwoman would be considered a woman.
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