Appeal launched to support Chris Packham’s legal action
A crowdfunding page has been set up to raise money for the BBC presenter’s case against Fieldsports Channel, amassing over £100,000
Chris Packham has started libel proceedings against Fieldsports Channel Ltd and Andrew O'Rourke
TV presenter Chris Packham has launched libel proceedings against Fieldsports Channel Ltd and their writer Andrew O’Rourke (known as Ben), citing a video and an article posted on the Fieldsports Channel’s Facebook page.
According to Packham’s solicitors, Leigh Day, the libels are that on video Fieldsports Channel suggests “Chris Packham has written a fake death threat letter to himself and has dishonestly claimed that it was sent to his home by an anonymous member of the shooting and farming community”, and that in the article “Chris Packham has written a fake death threat letter to himself and has dishonestly claimed it was sent to him by an anonymous third party in April 2019”.
Packham claims “serious harm and damage” to his reputation.
Separately, Packham is suing the editor and two contributors of online blog Country Squire Magazine over a series of articles that alleged he misled the public into donating to a charity to rescue tigers from a circus while knowing they were well looked after. The articles claimed the tigers had been freely donated to the Wildheart Trust. This case is expected to be heard in May.
Dr Ruth Tingay, a fellow member of Wild Justice, has launched a crowdfunding appeal, with Packham’s permission, to raise legal funds for his case against Fieldsports Channel Ltd and Andrew O’Rourke. With an initial target of £20,000 reached within days, the fund has since “stretched” its target to £110,000 and has raised more than £100,000. In the “How much am I trying to raise?” section of the appeal, Tingay says: “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. As the case proceeds, costs will inevitably increase and I will add a stretch target.”
Fieldsports Channel’s Charlie Jacoby said: “I admire Chris as a presenter — he’s got my number but he reached for the lawyers first.” Packham declined to comment. (Read more on Chris Packham here.)
