Met Police apologises to Graham Linehan after Heathrow arrest over gender-critical posts

The Metropolitan Police has apologised to writer Graham Linehan following his arrest at London’s Heathrow Airport over his gender-critical social media remarks.

Linehan, writer of Father Ted, was arrested at Heathrow in September 2025 by five armed officers after flying in from Arizona on suspicion of inciting violence against the trans community.

“Call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls” – Graham Linehan making violent anti-trans remarks to X

He was detained for several hours, during which he was questioned over his gender-critical remarks on X in April last year.

One of the posts 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.”

Following his arrest, Linehan claimed the Met Police acted unlawfully and that his detention was a breach of free speech.

Linehan claims he was treated like a “terrorist” upon his arrest at Heathrow Airport

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.

— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) April 20, 2025

Writing to his blog at the time, he said: “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 banned from speaking online – all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers.”

At the time, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley defended the officers involved but said he recognised “concerns caused by such incidents given differing perspectives on the balance between free speech and the risks of inciting violence in the real world”.

Following a five-month internal investigation, the Met issued an apology acknowledging a “lack of diligence” in the handling of the case.

“The service provided was not acceptable” – Inspector Matt Hume acknowledging Linehan’s claims

As reported by The Telegraph, Inspector Matt Hume said: “I accept that the service provided was not acceptable and recognise the distress and impact this matter has caused Mr Linehan.”

They concluded that although the arrest was lawful, the Met’s focus on Linehan’s gender-critical views overshadowed the alleged incitement to violence.

Hume added: “I therefore accept that, at times, both the investigation and arrest phases lacked the diligence one would expect from the [Metropolitan Police].”

“I apologise to Mr Linehan for the shortcomings in this investigation” – Inspector Matt Hume apologising to Linehan

He added: “I apologise to Mr Linehan for the shortcomings in this investigation. The Met Police remains committed to lawful, proportionate policing and to learning from failings when they arise.”

Linehan’s legal history regarding criticism of the trans community goes beyond his Heathrow arrest. Separately, he was found guilty of damaging a transgender activist’s mobile phone at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in November 2025.

In addition to causing £369 of damage to her phone, he called Brooks names such as “domestic terrorist” and “groomer”, and repeatedly misgendered her as a “man” in comments made on X.

Since then, a judge at London’s Southwark Crown Court overturned this conviction and found him not guilty of the damages earlier this year, stating: “We cannot be sure that the damage to the complainant’s phone was caused by Mr Linehan… We therefore found Mr Linehan not guilty of the offence.”