Chris Packham has won his libel case against a website that accused the nature lover of numerous spurious claims, such as fraud and dishonesty.
A judge ordered the website it to pay him £90,000 in libel damages.
Mr Justice Saini criticised the conduct of the website’s editor Dominic Wightman and writer Nigel Bean for articles he said were “without any proper evidential basis”.
Saini also said: “Their unsubstantiated claims would have misled and agitated vocal and sometimes violent groups. Those people have posted threatening and vile material about Mr Packham and his family online.”
Crusade against Chris Packham
Outside of court Chris Packham said: “I’d like to thank all of my followers for your unswerving support and belief in my honest crusade to make the world a better place for wildlife, people and the environment; that’s what I get up in the morning to try and do,” he said. “I didn’t expect to find myself in court defending that but I have done so successfully.”
Packham also called the judgment “a full and frank vindication of my innocence”
He added: “The onslaught of abuse and hatred continues simply because I want reform, I want the world to be a healthier place for wildlife, wild animal welfare, domestic animal welfare, the environment, so on and so forth. And there are people who have a vested interest in preventing that reform.”
Justice
League against cruel sports tweeted their support writing: “We are thrilled to hear Chris Packham has won his libel case and that justice has been served. In the words of Mr Justice Saini: ‘Mr Packham did not commit any acts of fraud or dishonesty.”
But as ever Chris was thinking about his love of nature, and tweeted his fox of the day first thing this morning!
Related: Chris Packham calls out the Daily Mail – ‘get your facts right’
