Piers Morgan has hit out at a stalker after they tried to extort him through the courts. He now fears a flaw in the legal system could lead others to be unfairly targeted.
Piers Morgan has hit out at an alleged stalker after winning a court case against her.
The 59-year-old presenter is no stranger to drawing attention thanks to his outspoken opinions and penchant for investigating topics from the political to the absurd. Last year, the former Good Morning Britain host caused a sensation when he interviewed Fiona Harvey – a Scottish woman believed to be the real-life inspiration for the character Martha in the smash hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer, which sees the character obsessively stalking a struggling comedian.
Following the interview, which was aired via YouTube and drew millions of views from around the world, Piers said he was targeted by an individual who launched an unprecedented case against him and his production company, Insider Productions Ltd. The individual accused the presenter of “abuse, harassment, fraud, and dishonesty” – going on to make bizarre claims including accusations he had stolen her brother’s identity.
A report has claimed that Piers is not the only star the person targeted – stating that 64 cases had been filed by the individual against a number of stars. The presenter’s production company won it’s case against the accuser last month – while another case that had been raised against Piers personally by the same person was thrown out by a judge.
Speaking about the ordeal to The Sun, Piers explained that his accuser had been trying to extort him by filming her false claims in the court system. He said: “It’s absurd, complete fantasy stuff and just ramblings. I didn’t want to have to defend it but you have to after being contacted by the court. Otherwise it goes through the court process and you can get a judgment against you or your company — which is what she was trying to do.”
However, Piers believes that his accuser has inadvertently highlighted a flaw in the legal system that could leave others at risk of being forced to pay huge amounts to protect themselves from unfounded accusations. He explained that the individual he battled against had pursued her claims by using ‘fee remission” – which is a service that helps people on low incomes or those on state benefits to avoid paying court fees.
Piers argues: “It means the cost to her issuing the claims is effectively nothing. The same can’t be said for all the defendants who have to go through the court process then end up paying the costs. She’s abusing the court process quite skillfully, exposing a kind of weakness in the system.
“(But) if someone’s doing this so many times to so many people and it’s obvious it’s all bull****, why are they allowing her to do it? It’s highly likely the collective expenditure defending ourselves against a total fantasist who’s deliberately abusing the court system is a six-figure sum.”
After proving his innocence, the judge ordered the accuser to pay Piers £6,000 in damages – but he admits he does not expect to see a penny. He also explained he is concerned for the safety and financial implications that could impact others that are targeted by other unhinged obsessives.
The TV star admitted he is not unaccustomed to having people making threats against him, but he tries to put them to one side, has the ability to pay for security if needed. He also questioned if his case would have been taken more seriously if he was a woman being targeted by an obsessive male fan – saying he feels there could be a “double standard”.
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