Graham Linehan , the co-creator of Father Ted , has accused police of siding with trans-rights activists following the overturning of his conviction for criminal damage to a transgender campaigner’s mobile phone. The ruling comes after Linehan was found to have damaged Sophia Brooks’s phone during a confrontation outside the Battle Of Ideas conference in Westminster on 19 October 2024. Mrs Justice Amanda Tipples delivered the decision on Friday, leading the 57-year-old to smile and acknowledge supporters in the public gallery. Outside Southwark Crown Court , the Irish TV writer stated the decision was "very welcome but this case should never have got to court". He said: “There has been a troubling pattern of police forces around the country to ‘believe’ trans-rights activists, time and time again, even when there has been overwhelming evidence that complaints have been made against gender critical campaigners, in bad faith.…