Chris Packham has raised more than £80,000 in donations for a legal fight against a publisher he accuses of a campaign of online abuse against him. The wildlife presenter claims that Fieldsports Channel – which specialises in hunting-related content – has created articles alleging that he faked a death threat to himself, and has generated such hatred towards him that he fears for his family’s safety.
“I sometimes leave or return to my home wondering if someone will be there waiting – someone who is so excited by these accusations that they feel motivated to extreme violence,” said Packham in an online video to launch the crowdfunding site.
According to the presenter, the civil case he is bringing has been going on for two years, and is a result of the laws around online abuse not being strong enough to allow for criminal prosecution in most cases – meaning that taking action leads to huge personal expense.
“It’s not something most people can afford or stomach. I’m two years into cases which have cost thousands of pounds and many sleepless nights,” said the presenter. “People should simply not be able to get away with hate terrorism and they must be held to account if there is any hope that we might live in a respectful, decent society.”
The claim that Packham faked his own death threat was investigated by police and found to be false. The letter was received in 2019 amid a series of incidents including dead crows being strung up outside his home and human excrement being posted to his house. According to the presenter, it resulted from a campaign group he co-funded, Wild Justice, successfully challenging legislation that allowed the shooting of pigeons and crows.
Commenting on Packham’s legal case, Fieldsports Channel presenter Charlie Jacoby said: “We don’t understand why Chris didn’t settle this with a phone call. It’s as if he and his solicitor Leigh Day are only interested in using the courts to extract cash – in this case from a small media company that can’t afford legal help. And now Leigh Day is making even more money from Chris’s supporters. When a wealthy BBC TV presenter wants to try to take you down, there’s not much you can do except watch.”
Despite Packham’s legal action, Fieldsports Channel is not averse to creating provocative content related to the presenter. This month, it posted a photograph to its Facebook group of a “Trophy room” it had digitally mocked up, featuring Packham’s head mounted on a plaque, as though he were an animal it had killed in a hunting trip. It was accompanied by text seemingly referencing the forthcoming court case saying: “My three demands. I want pocket money. I want Fieldsports Channel to stop being horrid about me. I want more pocket money.”
The crowdfunder for Packham’s legal costs was set up by his Wild Justice co-founder Dr Ruth Tingay and initially had a £20,000 target, which has now been raised four times over. It’s been heavily promoted by his stepdaughter, fellow wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin, who used Twitter to reply to Fieldsports Channel’s trophy wall image of Packham. “Despicable. Shame on you,” she commented. “Again – just whipping up hate and aggression.”
Packham is also involved in legal action against three staff members from Country Squire Magazine. According to the wildlife presenter’s lawyers, the three published content that claims Packham “misused his role as a BBC presenter to defraud the public into making charitable donations on the pretext that tigers had been mistreated by a circus and rescued by a zoo”. The magazine’s staff – who did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication – are also crowdfunding for their legal costs, referring to themselves as “the Packham 3”. Of their £250,000 stretch target, they have currently raised about £45,000.
In 2021, Packham’s home was subject to an arson attack, featuring masked attackers setting a car alight and burning down the gates to his home, causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage. However, not all the harassment he has received has resulted in negative consequences. In 2019, he was posted a small piece of wood containing a crudely drawn penis, which the presenter auctioned to raise money for Wild Justice – resulting in bids of more than £2,500.
