‘No case to answer’ – Hampshire Police close ridiculous ‘Chris Packham sniffed a goshawk’ investigation

Chris Packham has ‘no case to answer’ says Hampshire Police, who have now closed their investigation into alleged goshawk disturbance earlier this summer.

It was a story that the right wing, pro-shooting press seized upon with glee in August – the news that Chris Packham was being investigated by Hampshire Police after a ‘shooting enthusiast’ reported him after watching Chris sniffing some goshawk chicks during a clip filmed for The One Show in June (see here and here).

The lurid headlines were so tediously predictable – ‘Chris Packham faces six months in jail if found guilty’ and ‘Chris Packham investigated for wildlife crime’, in my opinion all written with the express intention to stir up even more anti-Packham rhetoric amongst those too stupid to think for themselves, as evidenced by comments on social media by Packham-haters that “Any bad publicity is good” (see here).

The great irony is that many of those complaining about the alleged ‘disturbance’ to those goshawk chicks belong to an industry that consistently and criminally targets and kills goshawks because they’re seen as a threat to their gamebird stocks. It’s strange, isn’t it, how that same industry remains silent when actual crimes against goshawks are uncovered and publicised or when yet another gamekeeper is convicted for killing birds of prey.

This case has been the latest assault in a long-running, relentless and malicious hate campaign against Chris (e.g. see here, here, here, here, here, here and here), often curated by the hunting/gamebird shooting industry that despises him for his outspoken criticism of their activities and in many cases, their crimes. More fool them though because ordinary, rational members of the general public can see straight through it as evidenced by the support Chris received when he took two libel actions recently (see here), one of which Chris has already won (here) and the other (here) will continue at the High Court on 6th November 2023.

The news that Hampshire Police have closed their investigation has been reported in The Telegraph as follows:

The naturalist Chris Packham did not commit a criminal offence when he sniffed goshawk chicks on television because he was behaving in a “purely instinctive” way, police have concluded.

The BBC Springwatch and Earth presenter was reported to police after he appeared on The One Show inspecting three of the birds of prey in the New Forest this summer.

It was feared that the “sniffing incident” amounted to a “disturbance” of the wild chicks, which are a protected species, because they were out of their nests.

At the time, the environmental campaigner wrote on social media that he was appearing on the show and would “get up close and very personal with some New Forest goshawks”.

Officers from Hampshire Police launched an investigation amid claims the presenter, 62, had breached the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 when he was filmed celebrating the return of goshawks to the Hampshire national park.

Mr Packham later told The Telegraph no harm had come to the birds and he was simply smelling them to detect their “characteristic scent or perfume” while they were weighed, sexed and ringed in line with a licence issued by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Under the licence goshawks may be removed from their nests for scientific and conservation purposes, including ringing and recording various biometrics. Ringers are also permitted to photograph the birds as long as it does not disturb or harm them.

Hampshire Police has written to the man who complained – an amateur shooting enthusiast who does not want to be named – to say that no charges will be brought and the case has now been closed.

The email said officers concluded the birds did not suffer any harm during the four-minute and 30-second television clip seen by millions of viewers.

The investigating officer, part of the force’s specialist rural crime unit, said: “The bird in question has not appeared to have been caused any harm and nothing was done with intent to harm any birds or act recklessly.”

He added that Mr Packham’s decision to sniff the birds “were purely instinctive”, adding that “we have received no other complaints about this matter and this will not be in the public interest to take it any further”.

The officer, who said he saw the programme when it was broadcast in June, added that the “evidential threshold test for any prosecution” had not been met.

Mr Packham on Friday welcomed the police decision and accused the fieldsports lobby of targeting him and wasting police time.

“The anonymous idiot who made this ludicrous and vindictive complaint should be sorry that even a nanosecond of police time was wasted,” he told The Telegraph. 

“Once again the fieldsports community has blasted themselves in the foot trying to put my nose out of joint.”

A Hampshire Police spokesman said: “The footage has been viewed and no criminal offence was identified. The investigation has been filed.

“Any issues relating to an alleged breach of licence would be dealt with by the organisation who issued that licence, not the police.”

The BBC has always insisted that protocols were followed during the filming at all times.

After it emerged that Mr Packham had been reported to police over the “sniffing incident” experts warned amateur ornithologists not to sniff wild birds amid fears it could spread avian flu.

ENDS