Chris Packham libel trial: Presenter faced 'relentless intimidation'

Chris Packham has told the High Court he is the "victim of a campaign of vile and relentless intimidation".

The presenter is suing three men over articles on the Country Squire Magazine website alleging he misled people into donating to a tiger rescue charity.

Site editor Dominic Wightman, writer Nigel Bean, and a third man, Paul Read, are defending the libel claim.

The 61-year-old said he had been targeted because of his "deeply held views" about blood sports.

He recounted how "random dead animals and human faeces" were regularly posted to him.

"I have become accustomed to the plethora of dead animals people leave at my home," Mr Packham continued.

He said that "masked attackers" had also set fire to a car and burned down the gate to his home.

The environmentalist and his partner Charlotte Corney are trustees of the Isle of Wight sanctuary.

He was accused of dishonestly raising money at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic while knowing the charity was due to receive a £500,000 benefit from its insurance.

But the BBC Springwatch presenter said: "We weren't hopeful that we would be insured against Covid-19 closures."

He said the insurance payments "ultimately saved the sanctuary in what was a time of dire need".

"But to be very clear, if we had not launched the fundraising appeal as rapidly as we did then these payments may have arrived too late to make a difference," he said.

He believes the defendants' claims had "misled, agitated and fuelled a vocal and violent conspiratorial fringe who increasingly post threatening and vile material about me and my family".

He said: "I do go to walk my dogs in the woods and wonder: is today the day that a psychopath fuelled by all this hate turns up and kills me?

"I genuinely no longer expect to live a long life free from violence and intimidation, because it may only take the one wrong person to read Country Squire Magazine for things to go horribly wrong."

Jonathan Price, on behalf of the broadcaster, said the defendants had published an "enormous amount of puerile, offensive and damaging material" about him, "often under the guise of fundraising for their defence".

Mr Packham said they had also "repeatedly picked on and mocked my Asperger's syndrome" as well as comparing him to Jimmy Savile.

He said it was "ridiculous, utterly unfounded, and plainly designed to be as upsetting, threatening and reputationally damaging as possible".

Nicholas O'Brien, for Mr Wightman and Mr Bean, said the articles were true and could also be defended as under the public interest.

David Price, KC, for retired computer programmer Paul Read, said his client was a "mere proof-reader" and not responsible for the articles.

The trial is due to conclude on 12 May, with a decision expected at a later date.