Dan Wootton denies catfishing man who claims to be former colleague

The journalist Dan Wootton has denied he catfished a man who claims to be a former colleague in documents submitted to the high court, it has been reported. It is alleged that Wootton exchanged sexual messages in 2010 with the claimant – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – while pretending to be “Maria Joseph” and encouraging him to send explicit photographs and a video. Wootton is accused of obtaining sexual images by deceit. The claimant, known as YXN, has lodged civil proceedings against him “for damages for personal injuries and losses consequent on the defendant’s intentional infliction of harm, misuse of confidential information, infringement of privacy and deceit”. In documents filed at the high court and seen by the BBC, Wootton denies ever communicating “via any medium” with the man, who has been granted anonymity by the court. Wootton also denies that he “ever has been in possession” of any “explicit photographs or video” portraying the man. He denies he “was or ever has been in possession of any flirtatious or sexualised messages from the claimant, or explicit photographs or video portraying the claimant”. He also said in the documents that the anonymous claimant did not believe the recipient of his messages was called Maria Joseph. Wootton added that the claimant stated to Maria Joseph: “Maria [if that is really your name] ... we are in a catch 22. i can’t play without finding this out. won’t tell them as i’m not gonna advertise the fact i have apparently started to chatting to hot strangers on the internet. or tell me your real name then? [sic]”. The anonymous claimant is suing Wootton, saying that he has suffered pain, injury, humiliation and hurt to his feelings, and that he has sustained loss and damage because of Wootton’s actions.