The Metropolitan Police has paid Father Ted creator Graham Linehan £25,000 in compensation and issued an apology after arresting him at London Heathrow Airport last September over gender-critical posts on X, formerly Twitter.

Linehan, 58, was detained by five armed officers upon his arrival from Arizona. The arrest was made on suspicion of inciting violence following a complaint by transgender activist Lynsay Watson regarding three posts. 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.' Another post, accompanied by a photo of a trans-rights protest, read: 'a photo you can smell,' with a follow-up stating: 'I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.'

While in custody, Linehan experienced dangerously high blood pressure and was taken to a hospital. He was subsequently released on bail with a condition not to post on X. The Crown Prosecution Service later reviewed the evidence and determined there was no realistic prospect of conviction, leading to no further action against Linehan.

Linehan, with support from the Free Speech Union, initiated legal action against the Met Police for wrongful arrest and breaches of his right to free speech. He received an apology in May and has now also received the financial settlement and a further apology.

In a video message, Linehan thanked the Free Speech Union for their assistance. He described his arrest as creating a significant reaction and acknowledged the financial compensation would be helpful, stating he had been financially strained by his activism.

The arrest drew widespread criticism, including from author J.K. Rowling. In response, the Met Police announced it would cease investigating "non-crime hate incidents."

A senior Met officer acknowledged shortcomings in the investigation, arrest, and bail conditions, writing to Linehan: 'We apologise to you for those shortcomings and for the distress and inconvenience which you suffered as a result.'

Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, commented on the frequency of such cases where individuals are arrested for social media posts, only for no further action to be taken and compensation paid. He stated, 'At some point you'd think the penny would drop: police our streets, not our tweets.'

A Met Police spokesperson confirmed the payment and apologies, adding that the decision to stop investigating non-crime hate incidents would provide clearer direction for officers and allow them to focus on criminal matters.

This case follows a previous legal development in May, where Linehan's conviction for criminal damage was overturned. He had been found guilty of damaging the mobile phone of transgender activist Sophia Brooks during an altercation outside a conference in October 2024. The court could not be certain that Linehan caused the damage.

In November, Linehan was also cleared of harassing Brooks through social media posts made before and after the incident. While the posts were described as 'deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary,' the judge ruled they did not constitute 'oppressive' conduct.