Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Tom Bryant

Chris Packham says it's his 'job' to fight online bullies after winning court battle

Chris Packham said it is his “job” to take on bullies after he won a court battle.

A judge ruled the Springwatch presenter had been subjected to an online smear campaign.

The 62-year-old was awarded £90,000 in libel damages after articles on the Country Squire Magazine website accused him of lying to raise funds for a charity.

Asked if had any regrets about “taking on the bullies”, he said: “No, no, that’s my job. There are a lot of people who don’t have the capacity to take on people who are doing them enormous harm with online abuse and I am very fortunate to have that capacity.

“It’s an ill in contemporary society that does enormous harm to a lot of people and it’s something we have to address. We can’t have people being abused, particularly young people at a sensitive time of their lives.”

Chris outside court during the case (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Chris, from Southampton, said his new role as president of the RSPCA would have delighted his late mum.

He added: “When I was I was a kid, we used to go to a newsagents called Eliot’s and there was an RSPCA collection box... every time, I would ask my mum if I could have a penny to put in it. It was a thing we always did. It was a ritual.”

Chris now has his own collection box in his front room.

The current series of Springwatch is situated at the Arne Nature Reserve in Dorset. Chris said: “I’ve been going there since I was a child. It gives us a chance to feature some new species.”

* Springwatch is on BBC2 until June 15.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.