One big secret. A thousand little lies.

IN 2002 Australia witnessed a witch hunt the size and complexity of which had not been seen since the Lindy Chamberlain case. At its centre stood the horse Cambridge, his owners and a team of veterinarians attempting to save his life.

The accusers comprised a protest group, the proprietors of a web site reputed to represent Australia’s equestrian fraternity (8 million hits per month), the Bureau of Animal Welfare and the RSPCA, who claimed to have “never had such a response to one issue in its entire history”.

All forms of media weighed in, including newspapers, radio stations, television news and affairs programs. An on-line chat forum publicized thousands of postings with no regard for modulation. It even made parliamentary discussion.

Find out the whole story in Francesca Raffaele new book ‘One big secret. a thousand little lies.