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The 57-year-old flew in from Arizona to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in person on Tuesday where judgment was delivered by District Judge Briony Clarke.
Linehan denied harassing Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19 last year outside the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster.
Reading a summary of her judgment, the judge said she was not satisfied that Linehan’s conduct amounted to harassment or that the complainant was as distressed as they made themselves out to be.
But the judge found that Linehan had taken Brooks’ phone because he was “angry and fed up”, and had damaged it by knocking it to the ground.
She said that while the offence was not aggravated by the fact the complainant is transgender, it was because they were 17 years old at the time.
His lawyer Sarah Vine KC said that they intend to apply for permission to appeal against the conviction.
Source: Father Ted writer cleared of harassing transgender activist