Piers Morgan has claimed that “nobody can produce any evidence” that Fiona Harvey – the reported real-life inspiration for the stalker character Martha in Baby Reindeer – has been to prison.
The broadcaster interviewed Harvey on his TV show Piers Morgan Uncensored earlier this month, where she denied many aspects of the narrative, including stalking Richard Gadd – who based the Netflix series on his real-life experience.
The series ends with the Martha character being convicted, though Harvey denied she herself had been convicted on any charges.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Morgan suggested that the apparent lack of real-life evidence is a “big problem”.
“I think it’s a big problem for Netflix, and for Richard Gadd, and for Clerkenwell Films who made this, because they say unequivocally at the start, ‘this is a true story’,” he said.
“The denouement of the series involves the stalker in court admitting to her crimes, and being given an eight-month prison sentence. When Fiona Harvey, who is the real Martha, came on Piers Morgan Uncensored, she was emphatic. She has never been to court over this, let alone plead guilty, and has never been to prison,” he continued.
“Nobody can produce any evidence that she has, and if that is the case and it turns out she hasn’t, then the other part of this is the failure of duty of care by Netflix not to allow her to be identified, which she was, instantly, because they used literal postings of her Twitter feed in the actual series.”
Morgan previously defended his interview, with questions raised over its ethics after Gadd previously said his stalker was “mentally unwell”.
MORE BABY REINDEER: What did @piersmorgan consider before speaking to alleged 'real Martha' & does he regret the interview some have called exploitative? On the Media Show he explains his decision & his media strategy – more from @BBCRosAtkins & me @BBCSounds @BBCRadio4 pic.twitter.com/rI7sVTGHD8
— Katie Razzall (@katierazz) May 15, 2024
“If she was a convicted stalker who had gone to prison and put his life through hell, clearly we had to think long and hard about the public interest justification in giving her the platform,” he told BBC News Culture and Media Editor Katie Razzall.
“But I felt there was enough of a question mark surrounding that part of the story to justify her at least giving her side of the story. She is emphatic that there was no court case, no conviction, she never pled guilty and there was no prison sentence.”
Morgan previously stated his belief that Harvey lied to him “quite a lot” during the interview, while Harvey herself suggested she was “set up” by Morgan and felt “a bit used”.
Gadd himself has previously urged people not to speculate on the real-life identities of the characters in Baby Reindeer, saying: “That’s not the point of our show”.
Meanwhile, Harvey recently accused Coventry nightclub The Kasbah of “trying to exploit” her after apparently trying to book her for a gig, which was cancelled after a significant backlash.
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