Lord Lucan fiasco last straw, says possum man

THE SAGA over whether a Marton man was the notorious British Lord Lucan resurfaced in the Marton District Court yesterday.
Roger Woodgate hit the world stage with his possum Redfern after his closest neighbours, Margaret Harris and son Craig, said they were positive that he was the missing lord.
Lucan, who would be 72, disappeared in 1974 after the murder of his nanny, and even though he was believed to have drowned in the English Channel there have been dozens of l reports annually from people all over the world who claim to have seen him.
Mr Woodgate and Palmerston North lawyer Mike Ryan was in court pursuing a restraining order against the Harris family. The order was against Mrs Harris and her two sons. Marton lawyer Scott Oliver appeared for the Harris family. T he allegations of harassment had included threatening to kill, throwing a bottle, abusive language and continually driving slowly past Mr Woodgate's property.
Judge Michael Radford said before making a decision on how the case should proceed he would call a brief adjournment for the two counsel to discuss with their clients whether a compromise could be reached.
The two lawyers talked together for a few minutes in the courtroom before meeting their clients.
After the adjournment they told the judge that the decision was mutual from both parties that there was no way a compromise could be reached.
Mr Oliver said his clients denied harassing Mr Woodgate. Judge Radford set a nominal date for a hearing to the Wanganui District Court on October 15 or October 19 in Marton.
"We had better get a resolution fairly quickly," he said.
Outside the court, Mr Woodgate told the Wanganui Chronicle the Lord Lucan fiasco had been the last straw in his five-and-half years of living next door to the Harris family.
"It was all so unnecessary. I didn't hate it, but I sure didn't like it, either, and I just got totally fed up."
Mr Woodgate said the brown cardboard Wattie's carton he was carrying represented his "Wattie's Box Inquiry" of evidence against his neighbours.
Newspapers filled the box from thoughout New Zealand and all over the world as well as televison transcripts from dozens of international television channels including CBS, BBC and Australia's Channel 9.
"Look at this," he said, holding up a copy of the Taipei Times and a bunch of well known British tabloids. "Amazing, isn't it?''
He's even been asked several times for his autograph and has had letters asking about his possum.
"Redfern's a celebrity now. everyone wants to know about my possum. It's all quite bizarre."
Even though he feels like ditching everything and leaving his paddock, his Land Rover home and loved goat Camilla and cat Smoky, Mr Woodgate said he is going to stand his ground.
"Redfern and I are going to see this through to the end."