Thread: 'Baron' Castleshort

I understand the Baron Castleshort is taking legal action against ARRSE and other forums for defamation. Has anyone heard from their learn'd friend?

The webpage http://walt-watch.50webs.com/shortt.htm was pulled because the ISP received the following;

This is an initial courtesy email to make you aware of legal action that is being taken against forums in the UK (including www.Arrse.com) and Ireland and one personal website in the United States of America. . Through out the thread correspondents have quoted as facts defamatory remarks made anonymously in the forums mentioned and have added their own defamatory remarks as you will note. Repeating a defamatory article or post without checking the absolute veracity of the remarks is in itself a defamation. A person from the Arrse forum identifying himself as 'gas,gas,gas' has continually defamed the International Bodyguard Association and myself in that forum. This person has reproduced our copyright photographs of myself from various IBA sites in Europe and USA added defamatory remarks such as walt representing on the 'arrse' site as Walt(er) mitty. These Photos of me (one) is from a medal presentation by the Defnce Ministry in the Balkan Region, (two) from a ceremony at Budapest Castle, Hungary and (three) from a reception at The House of Lords (British Parliament)
As the person defamed by this I ask an urgent and immediate review of the contents of this page. www.walt-watch.50webs.com/shortt.htm
The correct course of action is to remove this site and its' defamatory postings.
Many of the correspondents have been identified and will be contacted individually.These include an individual XXXX XXXXX of San Diego, California. Mr XXXXX has authored a page of defamation and malicious falsehood. He has linked this page hosted by you to his defamatory website made entries on his pages directing people to your site and to his postings on the Arrse website.. Mr XXXX is now the subject of an action by myself and my legal representatives.

My XXXXXs at this stage.

Originally Posted by Gas Gas Gas

The webpage http://walt-watch.50webs.com/shortt.htm was pulled because the ISP received the following;

This is an initial courtesy email to make you aware of legal action that is being taken against forums in the UK (including www.Arrse.com) and Ireland and one personal website in the United States of America. . Through out the thread correspondents have quoted as facts defamatory remarks made anonymously in the forums mentioned and have added their own defamatory remarks as you will note. Repeating a defamatory article or post without checking the absolute veracity of the remarks is in itself a defamation. A person from the Arrse forum identifying himself as 'gas,gas,gas' has continually defamed the International Bodyguard Association and myself in that forum. This person has reproduced our copyright photographs of myself from various IBA sites in Europe and USA added defamatory remarks such as walt representing on the 'arrse' site as Walt(er) mitty. These Photos of me (one) is from a medal presentation by the Defnce Ministry in the Balkan Region, (two) from a ceremony at Budapest Castle, Hungary and (three) from a reception at The House of Lords (British Parliament)
As the person defamed by this I ask an urgent and immediate review of the contents of this page. www.walt-watch.50webs.com/shortt.htm
The correct course of action is to remove this site and its' defamatory postings.
Many of the correspondents have been identified and will be contacted individually.These include an individual XXXX XXXXX of San Diego, California. Mr XXXXX has authored a page of defamation and malicious falsehood. He has linked this page hosted by you to his defamatory website made entries on his pages directing people to your site and to his postings on the Arrse website.. Mr XXXX is now the subject of an action by myself and my legal representatives.

My XXXXXs at this stage.

Although this "courtesy mail" seems to be no more than a bit of shroud waving it does highlight the possible problems that could be faced by contributors to threads.
On balance, from what I have read on this site, it would be difficult to prove any defamation without raking through a lot of (apparently) unflattering history.

I've gone over my page at http://byronik.com/cqb.html and, as far as I can tell, I've followed his instructions to the letter. But now he's telling the world that individual XXXX XXXXX of San Diego, California is subject to legal action.

I wouldn't worry about it. In any court worth its' salt he'd be laughed out when one or two of the more checkable facts about his past are queried. I suspect that he knows how expensive it could get - for him - and is merely barking.

I think he is banking on the "legal" threat to get ISPs to bin the "offending" websites. ISPs would rather "bottle it" than investigate the case on it merits.

From you updated webpage; did the supporting documentation he supplied add up?

....The correct course of action is to remove this site and its' defamatory postings.....

The "defamatory postings" consisted of a collage of photographs, namely three into one. Not one unkind word was written. The only text identified the individual pictures as the Baron Castleshort.

Originally Posted by Gas Gas Gas

did the supporting documentation he supplied add up?

It depends what you mean by add up. The attachments seem to be irrelevant to any of the queries raised in ARRSE and yet the Baron has asked me not to disseminate them in any shape or form, so I'll endeavour to be circumspect.

There are letters and certificates from 1980 to 2008 heaping high praise on Mr. James Shortt and thanking him for having given various lectures and sundry training to members of the US Air Force, the US special forces, 21 SAS, Her Majesty's Household Guards at Pirbright, the State Special Security Agency of Mongolia and the UK Cabinet Office's Departmental Security Unit.

The Latvian police awarded him the Security Police Silver badge, presumably in recognition of providing their personnel with quality training through the auspices of the International Bodyguard Association.

In every case, he is referred to as "Jim Short," "Mr. James G. Shortt," "Mr. J. Short," "J Short Esq." or "Baron Castleshort": never with any military rank whatsoever, even when his civilian name appears on a list of other lecturers whose names are prefaced with "Maj" "Capt" or "SSgt."

The only evidence that he ever served in H.M. armed forces is on page 79 of Mars & Minerva of July 1994, where an acknowledgment for the use of an illustration out of one of Shortt's books states that "he served with" B Sqn. 21 SAS.

A typewritten note (undated) purporting to be an extract from 21 SAS part two orders states that James Shortt was attached to B and HQ Sqns for a brief period whilst he carried out research for one of his books.

A page of a European passport verifies that the holder is also known as Baron Shortt of Castleshort. But the Passport Office will probably list any aliases on that page. And I don't think any of us suggested that he didn't purchase his title fair and square.

I've never expressed any malice towards the Baron and I always remembered him with the greatest respect until I happened to find the photo of him wearing that orange skirt.

It's reasonable to assume that somebody who holds an aristocratic title and dresses so eccentrically doesn't expect to pass unnoticed. And surely ridicule is fair comment.

With regard to his "supporting documentation";

There are letters and certificates from 1980 to 2008 heaping high praise on Mr. James Shortt and thanking him for having given various lectures and sundry training to members of the US Air Force, the US special forces, 21 SAS, Her Majesty's Household Guards at Pirbright, the State Special Security Agency of Mongolia and the UK Cabinet Office's Departmental Security Unit.

I don't think anyone has questioned his skills at martial arts.

A typewritten note (undated) purporting to be an extract from 21 SAS part two orders states that James Shortt was attached to B and HQ Sqns for a brief period whilst he carried out research for one of his books.

Surely being "attached" to do some research is very different from being actually badged as one of THEM?

The areas of doubt and puzzlement remain:

*His actual "badged" service with various UK SF viz SAS Para wings and SBS badge.
*His title of Baron Castleshort.
*His dress sense.
*His involvement with the LoF and the Royal Galloglas Guard.

I trust he is not planning to use IBA funds to pay for his own legal costs. As far as I can see the IBA have not been "defamed" in any way. Having a DG that who lays himself open to public ridicule is a hazard.

I will see if I can tempt a friendly learn'd friend to go through all the Castleshort posts to see what she thinks. I'll just have to hope she is on a quiet period at work otherwise getting her to wade through at least 35 webpages of Shortt related posts will be a challenge.

Originally Posted by Gas Gas Gas

With regard to his "supporting documentation";

There are letters and certificates from 1980 to 2008 heaping high praise on Mr. James Shortt and thanking him for having given various lectures and sundry training to members of the US Air Force, the US special forces, 21 SAS, Her Majesty's Household Guards at Pirbright, the State Special Security Agency of Mongolia and the UK Cabinet Office's Departmental Security Unit.

I don't think anyone has questioned his skills at martial arts.

A typewritten note (undated) purporting to be an extract from 21 SAS part two orders states that James Shortt was attached to B and HQ Sqns for a brief period whilst he carried out research for one of his books.

Surely being "attached" to do some research is very different from being actually badged as one of THEM?

The areas of doubt and/or ridicule are:

*His actual "badged" service with various UK SF viz SAS Para wings and SBS badge.
*His title of Baron Castleshort.
*His dress sense.
*His involvement with the LoF and the Royal Galloglas Guard.

I trust he is not planning to use IBA funds to pay for his own legal costs. As far as I can see the IBA have not been "defamed" in any way. Having a DG that who lays himself open to public ridicule is a hazard.

I will see if I can tempt a friendly learn'd friend to go through all the Castleshort posts to see what she thinks. I'll just have to hope she is on a quiet period at work otherwise getting her to wade through at least 35 webpages of Shortt related posts will be a challenge.

The Title Baron Castleshot was last recognized in C1390 under the surname Mac Angearr.

I guess he is rattilling his sabre with legal action.......but it does not take up to much research to show he is bigging himself up.

One has to wonder at the good Baron’s thought process. At the moment any negative comments are limited to a couple of bulletin boards that anyone needing a bodyguard are unlikely to visit unless, of course, they Google “Baron Castleshort�. I think the good Baron has not been discussed here for around six months and that hiatus was probably set to continue. However, he decides now is the time to act and thereby generating more traffic here. So far he has succeeded in the removal of one photograph and getting Byronik to review his webpage.

Can any of the ARRSE COs advise if they have received any representation from the Baron regarding the LoF topics?

From his summary I would agree with Byronik’s observation that the “supporting documentation� seems to answer questions that have not been asked. Obfuscation is a word that springs to mind. Had he supplied copies of payslips from 21 or documentary verification of his title we would, rightly, have to sing a different tune.

If he does decide to enrich a few more lawyers, he can be sure that he will be under VERY close scrutiny from a number of angles. Defence lawyers for one and certain members of the media for another. Win or lose, I don’t think the IBA will be bathed in Castleshort’s reflected "glory". Will the IBA membership be really happy that their DG drags their organisation through the courts because he is upset that he personally, not the IBA, is subject to ridicule?

Looking again at the rec.heraldry site it would appear at birth he was registered with the surname Shortt (not Short) at Croydon in 1953. There you are, one correction/clarification made here at ARRSE.

There's also THIS

Baron of Castleshort
In 1999 I had the honour to be warned that I had been placed under surveillance by the 'Royal Eoghanacht Galloglas Guard', sworn bodyguards of Terence MacCarthy 'Mór'. The Galloglas Guard continues in existence as the Royal Galloglas Guard, and is commanded by a former MacCarthy supporter 'Baron' James Shortt of Castleshort ( http://home.earthlink.net/~rggsibiba...galloglas.html ). The aforementioned unreliable list of Irish Chiefs on Wikipedia as of August 2007 features an entry for 'An Caisleanghearr', which appears to indicate that the Barony of Castleshort has been upgraded to a full chiefship ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiefs_of_the_Name ). The Baron is also listed as the head of the newly formed 'Clan MacShort', allegedly of Scottish Galloglas origin ( http://www.ulsterclans.org/ ).
The surname Short in Ireland can be of two origins, straightforward English or an anglicisation of Mac an Ghirr, the second element being a form of the Gaelic for 'short'. I cannot at the moment confirm a Scottish galloglas association for Mac an Ghirr, usually anglicised McGirr. The idea that there existed a 'clan' to which all Shorts belonged is clearly nonsensical.
Terence MacCarthy of course invented the baronial title of Castleshort, and the good Baron's references to various places of the name in Kerry and Cork do not show that they had any association with the surname Short ( http://home.earthlink.net/~rggsibiba...stleshort.html ).

The Baron and his military claims have been the subject of critical discussion on an unofficial British Army chat website, and a photograph posted showing him wearing the breast star of Terence MacCarthy's discredited 'Niadh Nask' order ( http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...tart=3300.html ). I have been mentioned by one participant in the discussion, 'Galloglaigh', as 'a mysterious sad little character' who has 'pursued virtually all the named Irish chiefs as frauds', but 'ceased pursuing the issue after he did the hatchet job on Terence MacCarthy' ( http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...start=105.html ). Unfortunately, I am still very much active in exposing unustified claims to titles, and having written the book on the Mac Carthy Mór hoax, I maintain this and other webpages to keep things up to date.

Sean J Murphy MA
Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies
Commenced 6 March 2005, last updated 9 September 2007

If a picture paints a thousand words then there are 157,000 at;
http://www.ibabodyguards.net/index.php?module=media
and select 50 Anniversary 2007.

The good Baron makes an appearance.

He claims that he is a registered expert witness.

Anyone can register with the "Expertdotcom" industry. There are hundreds of sites to chose from to slap your name on. The real test is whether ones testimony has been vetted and accepted by a court of competent jurisdiction. There is a whole legal process for having an expert sworn in and their testimony accepted. I'd be interested to see the legal case citations to see this process for myself. If however, he gave a deposition at a public hearing or gave a presentation at a standing committee, then that is not per se an Expert Witness.

(for the interested, a brief summary appears in the heading of this case as to how, where who may be an expert witness... http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/199...994rcs2-9.html - with slight variations on other courts, it's pretty much the same standard.)

If anyone can supply me with the awards this person is apparently claiming Canada gave him, I'll check with our folks over here.

As for copyright questions, send them to me in PM, I'll have a look and see what the ruckus is about. So far, I haven't seen anything that sticks out as a flagrant violation.

Originally Posted by niner_domestic

He claims that he is a registered expert witness.

Anyone can register with the "Expertdotcom" industry. There are hundreds of sites to chose from to slap your name on. The real test is whether ones testimony has been vetted and accepted by a court of competent jurisdiction. There is a whole legal process for having an expert sworn in and their testimony accepted. I'd be interested to see the legal case citations to see this process for myself. If however, he gave a deposition at a public hearing or gave a presentation at a standing committee, then that is not per se an Expert Witness.

(for the interested, a brief summary appears in the heading of this case as to how, where who may be an expert witness... http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/199...994rcs2-9.html - with slight variations on other courts, it's pretty much the same standard.)

If anyone can supply me with the awards this person is apparently claiming Canada gave him, I'll check with our folks over here.

As for copyright questions, send them to me in PM, I'll have a look and see what the ruckus is about. So far, I haven't seen anything that sticks out as a flagrant violation.

I haven't been able to find him on the Legal Hub, which is where I advertise as an Expert Witness. Sweet and Maxwell (owners of the site) insist upon legal references from at least two solicitors/Barristers before you can register with them.

He'd also need to have given evidence in a Court of Law, Civil or Criminal within the past year.

Legal Hub