Chris Packham libel trial: Presenter faced 'relentless intimidation'

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

The presenter is suing 3 men implicit articles connected the Country Squire Magazine website alleging helium misled radical into donating to a tiger rescue charity.

Site exertion Dominic Wightman, writer Nigel Bean, and a 3rd man, Paul Read, are defending the libel claim.

The 61-year-old said helium had been targeted due to the fact that of his "deeply held views" astir humor sports.

He recounted however "random dormant animals and quality faeces" were regularly posted to him.

"I person go accustomed to the plethora of dormant animals radical permission astatine my home," Mr Packham continued.

He said that "masked attackers" had besides acceptable occurrence to a car and burned down the gross to his home.

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

He was accused of dishonestly raising wealth astatine the commencement of the Covid-19 pandemic portion knowing the foundation was owed to person a £500,000 payment from its insurance.

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

He said the security payments "ultimately saved the sanctuary successful what was a clip of dire need".

"But to beryllium precise clear, if we had not launched the fundraising entreaty arsenic rapidly arsenic we did past these payments whitethorn person arrived excessively precocious to marque a difference," helium said.

He believes the defendants' claims had "misled, agitated and fuelled a vocal and convulsive conspiratorial fringe who progressively station threatening and vile worldly astir maine and my family".

He said: "I bash spell to locomotion my dogs successful the woods and wonder: is contiguous the time that a psychopath fuelled by each this hatred turns up and kills me?

"I genuinely nary longer expect to unrecorded a agelong beingness escaped from unit and intimidation, due to the fact that it whitethorn lone instrumentality the 1 incorrect idiosyncratic to work Country Squire Magazine for things to spell horribly wrong."

Jonathan Price, connected behalf of the broadcaster, said the defendants had published an "enormous magnitude of puerile, violative and damaging material" astir him, "often nether the guise of fundraising for their defence".

Mr Packham said they had besides "repeatedly picked connected and mocked my Asperger's syndrome" arsenic good arsenic comparing him to Jimmy Savile.

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

Nicholas O'Brien, for Mr Wightman and Mr Bean, said the articles were existent and could besides beryllium defended arsenic nether the nationalist interest.

David Price, KC, for retired machine programmer Paul Read, said his lawsuit was a "mere proof-reader" and not liable for the articles.

The proceedings is owed to reason connected 12 May, with a determination expected astatine a aboriginal date.