TV presenter Chris Packham has said he has been cleared of assault as he filmed a documentary on illegal bird trapping on the island of Gozo.<\/p>\n
Packham, 55, appeared in a Maltese court on Thursday following an incident on the Mediterranean island.<\/p>\n
He was filming on the roadside when two men began “shoving” him and his crew, according to his agent.<\/p>\n
The campaigner, who is critical of bird-hunting in Malta<\/a>, was filming an independent programme.<\/p>\n He tweeted <\/a>at 10:00 BST on Thursday: “NOT GUILTY! And wait until you see our evidence…” before posting a picture of a disc with the title “video footage”.<\/p>\n Packham earlier posted <\/a>a video saying he had been charged with “using force against any person, with an intent to insult, annoy or hurt them”.<\/p>\n Packham’s agent said that he and his team were shouted at and shoved by two men who drove up to them during filming for a documentary called Malta: Massacre on Migration.<\/p>\n “Whilst Chris and the team stood back, the police joined them,” the agent said.<\/p>\n “Instead of intervening on behalf of the innocent parties, the police immediately took the side of the aggressors and manhandled Chris and other members of the team off the site.”<\/p>\n Packham said that, just hours before the incident, he had called police after seeing what he thought was a cage full of birds, including what he believed to be some protected species.<\/p>\n The presenter, from Marchwood in Southampton, tweeted alongside his video: “Malta! You point out suspected criminals to the police … and you end up in court!”<\/p>\n Packham has long argued that Maltese authorities have failed to prevent large-scale illegal shooting of migratory birds by hunters.<\/p>\n It remains a controversial issue in the country, where bird-hunting is seen as part of Malta’s tradition for many locals<\/a>.<\/p>\n European Union restrictions on the hunting of birds make two exceptions for Malta – allowing people to hunt turtle doves and quail in the spring, under strict regulations.<\/p>\n But conservationists say the hunting season is abused by some through the illegal shooting of other protected species.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"