Chris Packham was awarded ‘substantial’ damages after being accused of drafting a ‘death threat letter to himself,’ according to a High Court judge.
After the charges were made, the naturalist and television personality, 62, who has hosted Springwatch for over a decade, sued a wildlife leisure and hunting website.
Packham sued Fieldsports after an article indicated he had ‘dishonestly claimed’ a threat had been’sent to him by an unidentified third party,’ according to a judge.
According to a statement supplied to the judge, Fieldsports journalist Andrew O’Rourke ‘regretted’ the piece, which was published in June 2022.
On Monday, it was stated that the parties had ‘decided to conclude the lawsuit,’ with TV host Packham now receiving ‘substantial’ damages.
Outside the courthouse, Packham issued a strongly worded statement in which he stated that he would “challenge” anybody who “publishes or perpetuates lies about me.”
Carol Day, his representative, told the judge: ‘The claimant (Packham) is a well-known naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author.’
Speaking about Packham, she added: ‘He has spent much of his life campaigning on environmental protection and conservation, and animal welfare issues.’
‘However, regrettably, the claimant regularly receives threats from those who oppose his campaigns, including death threats,’ the statement went on to say.
‘The defendants published a video and an article on a website and social media, alleging that the claimant had written that death threat letter to himself.’
Ms Day also stated that Fieldsports and O’Rourke had ‘undertaken never to repeat the allegation’ and would post her complete statement on their respective platforms.
The court also heard claims that a caricature of Packham’s head was displayed on a ‘trophy wall’ earlier this year at the British Shooting Show.
The ‘trophy wall’ is claimed to have included former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s head and a police officer’s helmet.
Packham also won a libel suit trial earlier this year after a ‘enormous quantity of harmful material’ was published about him.
He sued three individuals on the grounds that he deceived the public into giving to a wildlife organisation committed to saving tigers from circuses.
