Chris Packham tells tiger fraud libel trial: Individuals know I’m not Jason Bourne
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hris Packham has stated folks know he’s “not Jason Bourne” and wouldn’t suppose he went “pliers in hand” to rescue tigers, the environmentalist has advised the High Court.
The TV presenter is suing three males for libel over 9 articles which included claims he defrauded and “manipulated” folks into donating to a charity to rescue tigers whereas figuring out the animals have been effectively taken care of.
The strongly denied allegations, repeated in a number of tweets and movies, relate to Mr Packham’s involvement with the Wildheart Trust, which runs a wildlife sanctuary on the Isle of Wight.
Dominic Wightman, editor of the net website Country Squire Magazine, is defending the libel declare together with author Nigel Bean and a 3rd man, Paul Read.
On the second day of the trial on Wednesday, the BBC Springwatch presenter started his proof, spending a lot of the day within the witness field on the London court docket.
Lawyers for Mr Wightman and Mr Bean have stated the articles within the declare may very well be defended as true whereas Mr Read stated he was not chargeable for the publications as he was a “mere proofreader”.
Nicholas O’Brien, representing Mr Wightman and Mr Bean, alleged Mr Packham fraudulently raised cash by saying 5 tigers wanted to be rescued from a circus when they didn’t want a rescue – allegations referred to in court docket as “tiger fraud”.
In his written proof, Mr Packham stated the tigers, which had been utilized in a Spanish circus, had been left in a holding facility earlier than they got here into the care of animal welfare group AAP.
I don’t suppose that at any stage the general public have been below the misapprehension that I used to be going out with pliers in hand to go and rescue the tigers myself
They have been then moved to the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary as their “forever home”.
Discussing a fundraising video posted by Mr Packham about the necessity to “rescue” the tigers, Mr O’Brien stated: “This was the beginning of a fundraising effort to support the transfer and accommodation of the tigers.
“These tigers were at AAP and not in need of rescue whatsoever.”
Mr Packham denied this, including the tigers’ homeowners had “abandoned them in appalling conditions for nearly a year” and that AAP had restricted capability.
He continued: “They are part of a chain of rescue. Whilst the animals were at AAP recovering and getting decent medical care, providing a forever home is very much part and parcel of a rescue process.”
Mr O’Brien stated Mr Packham was concerned in a “sustained” fundraising marketing campaign primarily based on “misleading statements” in regards to the tigers’ standing and historical past.
He stated: “You have allowed members of the public to believe that the tigers are in immediate danger – that you have yourself been trying to rescue them.”
Mr Packham advised the court docket “people know me as not Jason Bourne” and they might not suppose he was reducing the bars of circus cages.
He additionally stated: “I don’t think that at any stage the public were under the misapprehension that I was going out with pliers in hand to go and rescue the tigers myself.
“We were very clear about the role of AAP and our role in the rescue process,” he stated, including: “I refute your allegation that we have attempted to mislead the public.”
Mr O’Brien requested: “If those tigers had been unlawfully locked up in a zoo and you sent people with wire cutters to free them, that would be a rescue.”
Mr Packham replied: “I suppose in a James Bond sense they could.
“We would go through all the necessary legal hoops. We wouldn’t be busting into a zoo.”
The trial earlier than Mr Justice Saini is because of conclude on May 12, with a choice anticipated at a later date.