The Metropolitan Police have issued a second apology to comedian and campaigner Graham Linehan and acknowledged the "considerable distress" caused by his arrest in September 2025. Linehan, who resides in Arizona, was detained by five armed officers at Heathrow Airport as he returned from the United States. The arrest, made on suspicion of inciting hatred under the Public Order Act, has reportedly concluded with a settlement of £25,000, which Linehan stated would be "very handy" as he continues to oppose what he described as "madness."
Following his detention, Linehan was taken to a hospital due to concerns over his health, with police noting his condition was "neither life-threatening nor life-changing." The arrest stemmed from three posts made on his X account. One post 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." A second post featured an aerial view of protesters, which Linehan described as "a photo you can smell," and a third included the statement, "I hate them," referring to "misogynists and homophobes."
Initially, the incident Linehan was arrested for was investigated as a non-crime hate incident. This category of incident is recorded to collect data on alleged acts perceived as motivated by hostility or prejudice towards certain characteristics, such as race or transgender identity, but does not constitute a criminal offense. In October 2025, a month after Linehan's arrest, the Metropolitan Police announced they would cease investigating non-crime hate incidents. The force stated this change would allow officers to "focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations" and confirmed that the probe into Linehan was dropped.
The arrest and subsequent events generated a mixed reaction from politicians and public figures, sparking a debate about policing practices and freedom of speech. The Free Speech Union supported Linehan in his civil claim, welcoming the settlement and the second apology. Lord Toby Young, general secretary of the union, commented that this was their third case where a member received compensation for wrongful arrest, expressing hope that police would understand that offending or upsetting someone is not, in itself, a criminal offense. Young also described the Met's decision to stop investigating non-crime hate incidents as a "positive development" and urged them to "go further and stop arresting people for tweets," arguing that resources should not be diverted from unsolved crimes to address social media disputes.
This settlement comes two months after a separate conviction involving Linehan, for damaging a transgender activist's mobile phone, was overturned.