Metropolitan Police apologizes and pays £25,000 to Graham Linehan
The Metropolitan Police paid Graham Linehan £25,000 and apologized again over his Heathrow arrest, after five armed officers detained him and took him to hospital.
The Metropolitan Police paid Graham Linehan £25,000 and repeated its apology over the comedian’s arrest at Heathrow Airport, closing a case that began with five armed officers detaining him after an inbound flight from Arizona.
On 1 September 2025, he was held on suspicion of inciting violence, linked to posts he had made on X in April 2025 about trans women in female-only spaces. During detention, officers became concerned about his health after a nurse checked his blood pressure. Linehan said it had reached “stroke territory,” while police considered his condition neither life-threatening nor life-changing. He was later taken to hospital and bailed pending further investigation.
In October 2025, Linehan said he faced “no further action,” and the Crown Prosecution Service later confirmed that no further action would be taken. His bail conditions were also lifted after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. By May 2026, the Metropolitan Police had issued an unreserved apology and acknowledged shortcomings in the investigation, arrest and bail conditions.
On 9 July 2026, the force agreed to the compensation payment and recognised the considerable distress caused to Linehan. The settlement followed legal action backed by the Free Speech Union. Linehan, who now lives in Arizona, said the money would be “very handy.”
Sir Mark Rowley later said officers had been placed in an “impossible position” and should not be dragged into “toxic culture wars.” Linehan remains separately involved in another court case.
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