Crowdfunder launched to help Chris Packham fight libel case
by Ruth Tingay
Who am I?
I’m Dr Ruth Tingay, a long-time friend and work colleague of wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham CBE. I have set up this crowd funder on his behalf because I know Chris will be reluctant to take this step himself and I think he deserves our help and support.
Summary of the case
In June 2022, Fieldsports Channel Ltd published an article written by one of its journalists, Ben O’Rourke, and an accompanying video, accusing Chris of dishonest and unethical behaviour. They claimed that Chris wrote a fake death letter to himself and that he dishonestly claimed that it was sent to his home by an anonymous member of the shooting and farming community.
These publications also gave a misleading account of a related defamation claim Chris is pursuing against the editor and authors of articles published by Country Squire Magazine (CSM). Those articles claim that Chris fraudulently raised funds from the public in 2018 to rescue five tigers from ex-circus life in Spain. They also claim that Chris misled the public in claiming that muirburn taking place on two grouse-shooting estates in the Cairngorms National Park during the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in October 2021 would have burnt peat. The CSM Defendants have also made the allegation that Chris has forged a death threat letter to himself. Chris’s defamation action against them will be heard in the High Court in May 2023.
What are the implications of the allegation made by Fieldsports Channel Ltd?
The implications of the absurd handwriting allegation are that Chris lied to his family about the source of the death threat letter and wasted the police’s time in investigating the letter. The CSM Defendants have steadfastly persisted in this allegation even after Chris notified them that their expert had analysed his former accountant’s handwriting, not his. These allegations go to the heart of Chris’ integrity and therefore his reputation. Fieldsports Channel Ltd purports to have an enormous readership, over which it claims to exert significant influence.
Why is this case important?
The allegations made cause serious damage to Chris’s standing, his role within the BBC and the effectiveness of his campaigning for important conservation work. Chris has been at the receiving end of a long-term and vicious smear campaign for many years, including vile personal abuse of him (and his family and colleagues) on social media, having dead animals strung up outside his house, receiving death threats and excrement through the post, and having to deal with repeated calls to be sacked by the BBC. In 2021, a terrifying arson attack at his home caused considerable damage to his property. Thankfully nobody was hurt. It has to stop and those who write and publish defamatory material have to understand there are consequences to their actions.
What is the current status of Chris’s defamation action against Fieldsports Channel Ltd?
Chris’s lawyers wrote to Fieldsports Channel Ltd and their journalist Ben O’Rourke in January 2023, detailing why the material published by Fieldsports Channel Ltd was defamatory and unfounded. This included an express statement that the handwriting analysis on which they relied had been undertaken on handwriting samples that hadn’t been written by Chris. Chris’s lawyers provided an early opportunity for the defendants to acknowledge their error and deal with the consequences quickly but they refused and are contesting the case. A claim for defamation has now been issued in the High Court.
Why am I trying to raise money for Chris’s libel action?
Until now, Chris has covered his legal costs for the Country Squire Magazine case because he hasn’t wanted to raise funds for anything other than wildlife conservation and animal welfare work. But defamation proceedings are expensive and there is no guarantee that costs and damages will be fully recovered. I have therefore, with his permission, decided to launch this crowd funder to raise funds for him to progress the cases against Fieldsports Channel Ltd, Ben O’Rourke and CSM. I have chosen the Crowd Justice platform because donations here go directly to Chris’s legal team rather than to me or to Chris.
How much am I trying to raise?
Initially the target is £20,000 to cover the costs of pre-action correspondence, court applications and the time provided by specialist defamation barristers for preparing detailed advice in the Fieldsports claim. As the case proceeds, costs will inevitably increase and I will add a stretch target as appropriate.
Thank you
Thank you for your support and backing. It will mean the world to Chris to know that so many are standing with him on this.
DONATE TO THE CROWDFUNDER HERE
24 March 2023
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