The Metropolitan Police have concluded their investigation into comedian Graham Linehan regarding tweets that criticized transgender issues, announcing that no further action will be taken against him, reports BritPanorama.
This morning, the Met Police communicated the outcome to Linehan, well-known for his work on “Father Ted,” confirming that their inquiries have been dropped. The case attracted considerable public attention following an incident last month where Linehan was met by armed officers at Heathrow Airport, stemming from his controversial social media posts.
In a tweet cited by Linehan as central to his arrest, he stated, “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.” Following today’s announcement, Linehan expressed his satisfaction but stated that he intends to pursue legal action against the police.
On the matter, Linehan commented, “The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September. After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend), the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case. With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
The Met’s official statement elaborated, “This decision means that no charges will be brought against Graham Linehan in relation to this allegation. Please note that this decision may be reconsidered if further evidence or information comes to light.”
Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, remarked, “I’m glad the police have dropped the case, but it should have been obvious there was no case to answer in the first place. Graham should never have been interviewed about his tweets, let alone arrested by five armed police officers and held in a cell for over 12 hours.”
