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Dan Wootton denies High Court claim that he catfished 'former colleague'
Dan Wootton denies all communication and possession of explicit images in a 2009 catfishing claim, disputing the former colleague link and timeliness of the case.
- Earlier this year, Dan Wootton, broadcaster and journalist, denied a High Court claim that he catfished an anonymous claimant by posing as Maria Joseph in 2009.
- The claimant alleges the contact occurred through email, SMS and Facebook using the female persona Maria Joseph, who encouraged him to send explicit photographs and a video.
- Messages soon became `sexualised and flirtatious`, the claimant says, and he alleges Wootton sent photographs of a female, some partially or fully naked, plus a sex video of a man and a woman.
- The claimant is suing for damages for pain and humiliation, alleging major depressive disorder and alcohol use, while Wootton denies injury, disputes their working relationship, and argues the claim is time‑barred.
- The claimant has been granted anonymity in High Court filings, while court and media coverage have publicised the allegation, keeping the dispute visible as Wootton says the claimant did not believe the persona was Maria Joseph.
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3 Articles
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The catfish, known as the fall of love, occurs when criminals use photos and identity of another person to create false profiles and keep fictional relationships, often with financial objective. One of the most recent cases was Juliana Paes, whose image was used by golfers to deceive an elderly Minas Gerais who believed he was in love with the actress and ended up losing R$ 32 thousand over three months.
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Total News Sources3
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
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