Latest news with #EssexWives
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Jodie Marsh wins fight with council to keep lemurs
Jodie Marsh should be allowed to keep lemurs at her private animal sanctuary, a judge has ruled. The former glamour model fought Uttlesford District Council in court after it refused her application for a wild animal licence in July 2024. Concerns had been raised about her taking a meerkat from her farm near Braintree, Essex, to the pub, but Ms Marsh insisted she was being targeted by online trolls. District Judge Christopher Williams said the 46-year-old was "someone who very much cares for animals". He ordered the local authority to pay her £19,641 in costs at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court. Neighbours of Fripps Farm, which Ms Marsh founded in Lindsell in 2020, attended several hearings to voice their opposition against her. Judge Williams said there was "considerable animosity" between all involved. Speaking to the BBC outside court, Ms Marsh said: "I hope that shuts my trolls up once and for all." Ms Marsh, who appeared in the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002, took the council to court after it did not allow her to adopt eight ring-tailed lemurs. She already cared for alpacas, emus and reptiles at the 3.5-acre (1.4ha) site and wept in court as the judge ruled in her favour. Judge Williams said: "There is no evidence she has mismanaged any animals or caused any animals harm." He criticised the council for providing "completely contradictory" views and going against reports stating Ms Marsh was a suitable keeper. The judge said Dr Stephen Philp, a vet hired by the authority to make a report, had relied on photographs sent to him of the farm, with no certainty they had not been edited. He also questioned why the authority said the lemurs would be too noisy, despite it admitting this was "impossible to measure". "The decision of Uttlesford District Council was wrong and, in light of evidence, it continues to be wrong," Judge Williams added. He said Ms Marsh was "passionate about the care and treatment of the animals in her care". Ms Marsh told the BBC she was "so happy and so grateful" with the ruling. "I'm just really sad that it has to come to this - It's a complete waste of time and effort," she said. "As the judge said, the decision was wrong in the first place. "I am just over the moon. He categorically proved in there I am a suitable person to rescue animals and that all I care about is the safety and health and wellbeing of the animals." An Uttlesford District Council spokesperson said councillors refused to allow Ms Marsh a wild animal licence after "careful consideration". They added: "Whilst we are disappointed with the ruling today, the court has taken a fresh look at it and reached a different conclusion, which we fully accept." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Council feared backlash if Jodie Marsh kept lemurs Ex-model tells court why she took meerkat to pub Ex-model 'not strange' for sharing bed with meerkat Jodie Marsh: OnlyFans helps pay for my animal farm Uttlesford District Council Fripps Farm
Sunday World
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Former glamour Model Jodie Marsh defends taking meerkat to the pub
The media personality, who trained as a bodybuilder, said online trolls are behind much of the criticism of her animal sanctuary in Lindsell, nine miles north west of Braintree in Essex. Former glamour model Jodie Marsh defended taking a meerkat called Mabel to the pub during a court case to appeal against a council's decision to refuse her application for a wild animal licence to keep lemurs at her animal sanctuary. The media personality, who trained as a bodybuilder, said online trolls are behind much of the criticism of her animal sanctuary in Lindsell, nine miles north west of Braintree in Essex. The 46-year-old owner of Fripps Farm told Chelmsford Magistrates' Court yesterday: 'I've wanted an animal sanctuary since I was five years old – this is my life dream.' Ms Marsh said that 'everybody in the public eye has trolls', adding: 'They lash out, they pick on you, as in my case.' 'When I was bodybuilding they trolled me for that, when I was modelling they trolled me for that; now it's the animals,' she said. Ms Marsh appeared in the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002 and went on to feature in several reality shows and magazines. Her Instagram account describes her as a 'former model and documentary maker. Now owner of Fripps Farm animal sanctuary'. Uttlesford District Council last year rejected an application for lemurs to be kept at the animal sanctuary, and Ms Marsh is appealing against this decision. Her lawyer Paul Oakley asked her a series of questions about a report, prepared for the council by vet Dr Stephen Philp, which raised questions about whether it was appropriate to grant the licence. Ms Marsh said the vet was 'basing his evidence off my trolls and neighbours'. She described as 'banter' a comment, made in an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, that she took a meerkat called Mabel to the pub 'four nights per week'. 'That was banter, that was me being funny,' she said. 'Nigel and I laughed the whole time.' She said she took the meerkat to a pub 'on a few occasions when I was hand-rearing her'. 'The pub I would take her to was a friend's pub a mile from my house,' she said. 'It's a food pub, not a drinking pub. 'It's never busy in the week.' She said she would go and get a 'bowl of chips or something for my dinner, then come back'. 'Most of the time when I did take Mabel to the pub nobody even knew she was there, she was in my jumper or in her case,' she said. She said that 'it's not illegal to take a meerkat in a pub' and that Mabel 'was hand-reared from a baby. She lives with me in the house as well'. Asked about a separate incident, Ms Marsh said: 'The only animal I've given CBD to was the llama, and the vet told me to give it to her.' She said that an incident where she lifted a goose by the neck while filming a video about ducklings, was 'so it wouldn't attack the baby ducklings' as the goose approached, and that the goose was not hurt. 'I plopped it (the goose) onto the pond,' she said. 'I didn't swing it or throw it.' She told the court that a horse 'certainly didn't bolt' during a photoshoot for a glamour calendar. 'The horse wasn't scared, absolutely not,' she said, adding: 'He was loving all the fuss and he was only out for about five minutes tops.' She said that the animal sanctuary was 'not overstocked, we have that in writing from Defra who are the only people who matter when it comes to animal welfare'. Asked by Mark Smith, for Uttlesford District Council, about issues of noise in relation to lemurs, Ms Marsh said: 'The noise was never a factor.' 'We're all set in five acres of land,' she said. She added that her application 'didn't get rejected because of noise – it got rejected because I touched a goose by its neck and took a meerkat to bed with me'. Ms Marsh has previously spoken of how she has helped fund the animal sanctuary through her use of the website OnlyFans. In 2023, she told BBC Essex that OnlyFans was 'amazing' and 'paid my staff wages for the first year'. 'They all joke and say, 'Your boobs pay our wages',' she said. The case continues.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Essex model Jodie Marsh tells court why she took meerkat to pub
Former model Jodie Marsh defended taking a meerkat called Mabel to the pub as she appealed against a licencing decision involving her animal Marsh was at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday to fight the refusal of an application for a wild animal licence to keep media personality, who trained as a bodybuilder, said online trolls were behind much of the criticism of Fripps Farm in Lindsell, near Braintree, in Marsh, 46, said: "When I was bodybuilding they trolled me for that, when I was modelling they trolled me for that; now it's the animals." Uttlesford District Council rejected her application in September 2024. At Friday's hearing, Ms Marsh's lawyer, Paul Oakley, asked her about a report, prepared for the council by vet Dr Stephen Philp, which raised questions about whether it was appropriate to grant the Marsh said the vet was "basing his evidence off my trolls and neighbours".Mr Oakley asked her about a comment she made in an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News that she took a meerkat called Mabel to the pub "four nights per week".Ms Marsh told the hearing: "That was banter, that was me being funny."She said she had taken the meerkat to a pub "on a few occasions" when the animal was being Marsh added: "It's not illegal to take a meerkat in a pub". She was asked about an incident where she lifted a goose by the neck while filming a video about ducklings."I plopped it [the goose] on to the pond," she Marsh said it had not been hurt in the incident, and she had stopped it attacking the ducklings. She told the court the animal sanctuary was "not overstocked, we have that in writing from Defra who are the only people who matter when it comes to animal welfare".Asked by Mark Smith, for the council, about issues of noise in relation to lemurs, Ms Marsh said "the noise was never a factor"."We're all set in five acres of land," she added that her application "didn't get rejected because of noise - it got rejected because I touched a goose by its neck and took a meerkat to bed with me".Ms Marsh appeared in the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002 and went on to feature in several reality shows and founded Fripps Farm, which looks after animals including alpacas, emus and reptiles, in has previously spoken of how she has helped fund the animal sanctuary through her use of the website 2023, she told BBC Essex that OnlyFans was "amazing" and "paid my staff wages for the first year".The case was adjourned part-heard until May 28, when it will resume at Colchester Magistrates' Court. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jodie Marsh blasts ‘trolls' as she appeals against animal licence refusal
Former glamour model Jodie Marsh defended taking a meerkat called Mabel to the pub during a court case to appeal against a council's decision to refuse her application for a wild animal licence to keep lemurs at her animal sanctuary. The media personality, who trained as a bodybuilder, said online trolls are behind much of the criticism of her animal sanctuary in Lindsell, nine miles north west of Braintree in Essex. The 46-year-old owner of Fripps Farm told Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday: 'I've wanted an animal sanctuary since I was five years old – this is my life dream.' Ms Marsh said that 'everybody in the public eye has trolls', adding: 'They lash out, they pick on you, as in my case.' 'When I was bodybuilding they trolled me for that, when I was modelling they trolled me for that; now it's the animals,' she said. Ms Marsh appeared in the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002 and went on to feature in several reality shows and magazines. Her Instagram account describes her as a 'former model and documentary maker. Now owner of Fripps Farm animal sanctuary'. Uttlesford District Council last year rejected an application for lemurs to be kept at the animal sanctuary, and Ms Marsh is appealing against this decision. Her lawyer Paul Oakley asked her a series of questions about a report, prepared for the council by vet Dr Stephen Philp, which raised questions about whether it was appropriate to grant the licence. Ms Marsh said the vet was 'basing his evidence off my trolls and neighbours'. She described as 'banter' a comment, made in an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, that she took a meerkat called Mabel to the pub 'four nights per week'. 'That was banter, that was me being funny,' she said. 'Nigel and I laughed the whole time.' She said she took the meerkat to a pub 'on a few occasions when I was hand-rearing her'. 'The pub I would take her to was a friend's pub a mile from my house,' she said. 'It's a food pub, not a drinking pub. 'It's never busy in the week.' She said she would go and get a 'bowl of chips or something for my dinner then come back'. 'Most of the time when I did take Mabel to the pub nobody even knew she was there, she was in my jumper or in her case,' she said. She said that 'it's not illegal to take a meerkat in a pub' and that Mabel 'was hand-reared from a baby, she lives with me in the house as well'. Asked about a separate incident, Ms Marsh said: 'The only animal I've given CBD to was the llama and the vet told me to give it to her.' She said that an incident, where she lifted a goose by the neck while filming a video about ducklings, was 'so it wouldn't attack the baby ducklings' as the goose approached and that the goose was not hurt. 'I plopped it (the goose) onto the pond,' she said. 'I didn't swing it or throw it.' She told the court that a horse 'certainly didn't bolt' during a photoshoot for a glamour calendar. 'The horse wasn't scared, absolutely not,' she said, adding: 'He was loving all the fuss and he was only out for about five minutes tops.' She said that the animal sanctuary was 'not overstocked, we have that in writing from Defra who are the only people who matter when it comes to animal welfare'. Asked by Mark Smith, for Uttlesford District Council, about issues of noise in relation to lemurs, Ms Marsh said: 'The noise was never a factor.' 'We're all set in five acres of land,' she said. She added that her application 'didn't get rejected because of noise – it got rejected because I touched a goose by its neck and took a meerkat to bed with me'. Ms Marsh has previously spoken of how she has helped fund the animal sanctuary through her use of the website OnlyFans. In 2023, she told BBC Essex that OnlyFans was 'amazing' and 'paid my staff wages for the first year'. 'They all joke and say 'your boobs pay our wages',' she said. The case was adjourned part-heard until May 28, when it will resume at Colchester Magistrates' Court.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jodie Marsh blasts ‘trolls' as she appeals against animal licence refusal
Former glamour model Jodie Marsh defended taking a meerkat called Mabel to the pub during a court case to appeal against a council's decision to refuse her application for a wild animal licence to keep lemurs at her animal sanctuary. The media personality, who trained as a bodybuilder, said online trolls are behind much of the criticism of her animal sanctuary in Lindsell, nine miles north west of Braintree in Essex. The 46-year-old owner of Fripps Farm told Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday: 'I've wanted an animal sanctuary since I was five years old – this is my life dream.' Ms Marsh said that 'everybody in the public eye has trolls', adding: 'They lash out, they pick on you, as in my case.' 'When I was bodybuilding they trolled me for that, when I was modelling they trolled me for that; now it's the animals,' she said. Ms Marsh appeared in the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002 and went on to feature in several reality shows and magazines. Her Instagram account describes her as a 'former model and documentary maker. Now owner of Fripps Farm animal sanctuary'. Uttlesford District Council last year rejected an application for lemurs to be kept at the animal sanctuary, and Ms Marsh is appealing against this decision. Her lawyer Paul Oakley asked her a series of questions about a report, prepared for the council by vet Dr Stephen Philp, which raised questions about whether it was appropriate to grant the licence. Ms Marsh said the vet was 'basing his evidence off my trolls and neighbours'. She described as 'banter' a comment, made in an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, that she took a meerkat called Mabel to the pub 'four nights per week'. 'That was banter, that was me being funny,' she said. 'Nigel and I laughed the whole time.' She said she took the meerkat to a pub 'on a few occasions when I was hand-rearing her'. 'The pub I would take her to was a friend's pub a mile from my house,' she said. 'It's a food pub, not a drinking pub. 'It's never busy in the week.' She said she would go and get a 'bowl of chips or something for my dinner then come back'. 'Most of the time when I did take Mabel to the pub nobody even knew she was there, she was in my jumper or in her case,' she said. She said that 'it's not illegal to take a meerkat in a pub' and that Mabel 'was hand-reared from a baby, she lives with me in the house as well'. Asked about a separate incident, Ms Marsh said: 'The only animal I've given CBD to was the llama and the vet told me to give it to her.' She said that an incident, where she lifted a goose by the neck while filming a video about ducklings, was 'so it wouldn't attack the baby ducklings' as the goose approached and that the goose was not hurt. 'I plopped it (the goose) onto the pond,' she said. 'I didn't swing it or throw it.' She told the court that a horse 'certainly didn't bolt' during a photoshoot for a glamour calendar. 'The horse wasn't scared, absolutely not,' she said, adding: 'He was loving all the fuss and he was only out for about five minutes tops.' She said that the animal sanctuary was 'not overstocked, we have that in writing from Defra who are the only people who matter when it comes to animal welfare'. Asked by Mark Smith, for Uttlesford District Council, about issues of noise in relation to lemurs, Ms Marsh said: 'The noise was never a factor.' 'We're all set in five acres of land,' she said. She added that her application 'didn't get rejected because of noise – it got rejected because I touched a goose by its neck and took a meerkat to bed with me'. Ms Marsh has previously spoken of how she has helped fund the animal sanctuary through her use of the website OnlyFans. In 2023, she told BBC Essex that OnlyFans was 'amazing' and 'paid my staff wages for the first year'. 'They all joke and say 'your boobs pay our wages',' she said. The case was adjourned part-heard until May 28, when it will resume at Colchester Magistrates' Court.
