BDSM master who injected his sex slave’s scrotum with silicone to make them bigger before he died sues The Project amid claims the program ‘made him look like a murderer’
- US man Dylan Hafertepen alleges he was portrayed as a murderer on The Project
- He had a dominant-submissive relationship with Melbourne man Jack Chapman
- Chapman died from multiple respiratory issues and silicone injection syndrome
- Hafertepen recently lost his job, and is seeking general and aggravated damages
A sex fetish master whose ‘pup’ died after silicone was injected into his scrotum is suing Network Ten over a report his lawyer argues portrayed him as a murderer.
The November 2018 report on The Project centred on the death of Melbourne man Jack Chapman who’d been in a kink relationship with United States man Dylan Hafertepen before succumbing to multiple respiratory issues and silicon injection syndrome.
According to the claim, the TV report featured Mr Hafertepen being invited to the home of Mr Chapman’s mother, Linda Chapman, and being covertly recorded as she told him he was ‘wholly and solely responsible for my son’s death.’
She also questioned why her son’s will had recently been updated.
Mr Hafertepen, who blogged on Tumblr about his dominant-submissive relationship with Mr Chapman, has claimed in the Federal Court the 12-minute report defamed him by making untrue claims.
He is seeking general and aggravated damages.
Melbourne man Jack Chapman (pictured) was in a kink relationship with Dylan Hafertepen before he died from multiple respiratory issues and silicon injection syndrome
Hafertepen (pictured left with Chapman) is suing Network 10 after a segment on The Project in November 2018 that he alleges portrayed him as a murderer
‘It’s a very serious allegation – causing the death of his partner in order to inherit his money,’ the US man’s lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, told the court in Sydney on Monday.
‘This broadcast, it will be the applicant’s case, was republished worldwide and caused him to lose a senior position working for Google.’
Ten will defend the matter on the grounds of truth and qualified privilege, the network’s lawyer told the court.
The network sought two extra weeks to file its defence. It said lawyers were busy, and producers and the journalist involved – Hamish Macdonald – needed to be interviewed and evidence re-examined to see if it had changed.
The court was told Ms Chapman was suing Mr Hafertepen in the US for wrongful death and documents from that case would be sought.
‘This is a very serious case, with very serious imputations,’ Ten’s barrister, Lyndelle Barnett, said.
‘Any truth defence will be very detailed.’
Ms Chrysanthou said lawyers shouldn’t be granted more time to find evidence to back The Project’s report.
‘If a national broadcaster wants to call someone a murderer, it should have all of its evidence in place before doing so,’ she said.
Ten told the court the statement of claim didn’t mention the loss of employment at Google, leading Ms Chrysanthou to say she needed to seek instructions about whether to file an amended statement of claim.
Justice Anna Katzmann granted Ten an extra week, meaning the defence must be filed by December 13.
Mr Hafertepen was ordered to serve any claim for economic loss or loss of earning capacity by December 20. The case is scheduled to return to court on February 11.
Hafertepen (pictured with Chapman) recently lost his job at Google, and is seeking general and aggravated damages