This story filled me with almost violent anger

The BBC wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom yesterday claimed that he confronted a suspected poacher shortly after seeing the Exmoor Emperor lying dead in a foggy field.

BBC wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom confronted 'poacher' over Emperor's death Johnny Kingdom's own role in the shooting has also been a subject of intense speculation since he tipped off a local newspaper that the stag had been killed last weekend

Mr Kingdom has previously denied reports that he looked on as the 9ft-tall red deer was killed, but he broke his silence last night after grainy photographs emerged showing a man slitting the throat of a giant stag in a misty moorland valley.

Mr Kingdom vigorously denied rumours that he took the final photographs of the Emperor himself, claiming that they were snapped by an unnamed deer-lover as he looked on.

But the 72-year-old admitted that he saw the stag lying dead and claimed to have confronted a mysterious man in a deerstalker who he believes was working with suspected poachers after it was killed weeks ago on a farm near the village of Rackenford, North Devon.

The identity of the hunter who killed the 300lb Emperor, believed to have been England's largest wild animal, has been kept a closely-guarded secret after wildlife campaigners reacted furiously to reports that the it was targeted for its majestic antlers.

Mr Kingdom’s own role in the shooting has also been a subject of intense speculation since he tipped off a local newspaper that the stag had been killed last weekend.

He initially insisted that he had not witnessed the incident, despite claiming to be “100 per cent sure” that the stag was dead.

He also claimed that the animal had been culled by a licensed marksman after being “badly beaten up” in a fight with another stag, despite insisting that he had no knowledge of the Emperor’s killer.

But the wildlife presenter, who had tracked the stag for 12 years, last night admitted that he had watched as its carcass was guarded by a lone stalker who he believes to have been a poacher.

The 72-year-old disclosed that he was leading a party of deer-watchers through the Worthy Folly woods near Rackenford, North Devon, ten minutes after dawn on October 8 when he heard two shots ring out.

He raced up to a lay-by on the Tiverton to Barnstaple link road with a view of the valley and peered down through the fog to see a lone stalker standing beside the stag’s giant carcass.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “I saw a big stag lying on the ground. I knew it was the Emperor because I’d know those huge long antlers anywhere.

“A man was standing next to the stag in a yellow jacket and I knew it must be poacher because a proper stalker would have worn camouflage. As soon as I realised that I cleared out of there because poachers don’t like being watched by anyone and they can be violent.”

Mr Kingdom, himself a former poacher, said he then drove down a country lane where he came face to face with a man wearing a deerstalker whom he believes was involved in the shooting.

He said: “He drew alongside, wound down his window and said, ‘Hello Johnny, what are you doing here?’

“That threw me because I had never seen him before. I suppose he recognised me from TV.

“I didn’t want to hang around because I felt very uncomfortable. I replied, 'I hope you haven’t just shot the Emperor.'

“He said, ‘I wouldn’t do that. Who do you take me for?’ Then he drove off towards the field where the carcass was lying. In my opinion, he was working with the stalkers.”

The Emperor was shot on land owned by Norma and Richard Frankpitt, but the two farmers have insisted that it was not killed by any of the people who have permission to shoot there.

Mrs Frankpitt said: “We have a number of people who shoot on our land and we’ve spoken to all of them and they have nothing to do with it."

After being shown the photographs of the lone stalker, Mr Frankpitt said: “I do not recognise his build or his clothing. He is a stranger to me.”

Mr Kingdom said he had previously denied having watched the animal's death because he was afraid of losing his right to film wildlife documentaries on Little Rackenford, the Frankpitts’ farm.

Some locals have accused Mr Kingdom of shooting the stag himself, but the 72-year-old vigorously denied the allegations last night.

He said: “The people in Rackenford say it was me who shot it, but they have got the wrong end of the stick. I can swear on the holy bible that I never did that.”

Mr Kingdom hopes that the photographs will put paid to claims that reports of the Emperor's death have been exaggerated.

Some local farmers are still refusing to believe reports of the animal's demise after several people claimed that they had seen it in the weeks since it was apparently killed.

A wildlife tracker last week claimed to have unearthed new evidence that the Emperor is alive after uncovering four-inch hoof prints in the mud on the farmland where the animal used to roam.

Another giant stag found roaming on Exmoor has been hailed as the Emperor’s son and named “The Prince” because of its uncanny resemblance to the majestic stag.

The Prince has magnificent 14-point antlers much like those of its alleged father.