IoW magiisttratte highlights red squirrels' importtance after radio hoaxes
During 2003, the Isle of Wight radio show presenter, Alex Dyke, arranged two ‘phone in’ stunts,
by broadcasting calls from a man threatening to release grey squirrels on the IoW. The release
of grey squirrels would be catastrophic to the indigenous and much cherished IoW red squirrel
population.
The Forestry Commission was amongst the organisations whose help was enlisted in a
major hunt for the ‘squirrel man’. Eventually, the calls were found to have been staged by Dyke,
in a bizarre attempt to boost ratings.
Brenda Mayle (Ecology Division) was called as an expert witness to the case, in which Dyke was
found guilty of wasting police time. When sentencing Dyke, the stipendiary magistrate
highlighted the importance of red squirrels as “a national asset”, and which had made the hoaxes
such a grave offence.