Coronation Street actor Bill Roache has spoken out to condemn public attacks on celebrities who have been accused of sex crimes.
Speaking on Monday night on a TV show in New Zealand, the actor called for stars to be allowed to keep their identities secret.
The warning from Bill, who plays Ken Barlow on the soap, comes just days after he said sex abuse victims ‘brought it on themselves’ due to actions in their past lives.
Controversial: Bill Roache has once again spoken about child sex abuse cases, this time saying the witch-hunt has to stop
In
his latest rant the 80-year-old told TV One’s Breakfast show: ‘There’s
been a pendulum swing after the Jimmy Savile situation.
‘All I am saying is that if you’re accused you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty but if you’re a celebrity you’re pilloried.
‘There should be anonymity for both the accuser and the accusee until such time as there is evidence and then it should come out.’
Claims:
The comment comes just a short while after he said sex abuse victims
'brought it on themselves' due to actions in their past live
When
asked by the presenter if he was sanctioning underage sex, he
responded: ‘Of course I don’t sanction that. All I am trying to do is
get the balance right.
‘Paedophiles should be routed out, anyone who offends sexually should be dealt with properly in the way the law deals with that.’
Bill is referring to a string of celebrities who have been charged with offences against children since the Jimmy Savile story broke.
Co-star: Bill was referring to his Coronation street co-star Michael Le Vell who has been charged with child sex offences
These
include his Corrie co-star Michael Le Vell and veteran broadcaster
Stuart Hall, while Jim Davidson has been arrested over sexual offences
claims.
During his appearance on the show, Bill took the opportunity to defend his earlier comments, which have led to backlash.
He said: ‘The trouble is in spiritual matters they are quite complex, if someone understands what you’re saying and puts it in their words, that’s fine.
‘But if someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying and puts it in their own words it’s a distortion and that is what has happened. I don’t want to upset anyone.
Arrested: Jim Davidson has been re-arrested over allegations of sexual offences
‘I’m in a little group and we talk about love and love is totally forgiving. To have all these awful accusations is upsetting.’
At the time his comments drew stinging criticism from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, which called them an insult to abuse victims.
Dr Jon Bird, from Napac, condemned Roache’s ‘hippy-dippy’ spiritualist beliefs, saying child sex abuse left people with horrific physical and mental scars.
The NSPCC described the actor’s comments as ‘bizarre’ and ‘not helpful’.
Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC’s sexual abuse programme, said: ‘We should be concentrating on helping the thousands of children sexually abused every year who need therapy to re-build their lives.’
The actor is currently in New Zealand taking part in a Coronation Street stage show, which is where he made his previous offensive comments.
Speaking on Monday night on a TV show in New Zealand, the actor called for stars to be allowed to keep their identities secret.
The warning from Bill, who plays Ken Barlow on the soap, comes just days after he said sex abuse victims ‘brought it on themselves’ due to actions in their past lives.
Controversial: Bill Roache has once again spoken about child sex abuse cases, this time saying the witch-hunt has to stop‘All I am saying is that if you’re accused you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty but if you’re a celebrity you’re pilloried.
‘There should be anonymity for both the accuser and the accusee until such time as there is evidence and then it should come out.’
Claims:
The comment comes just a short while after he said sex abuse victims
'brought it on themselves' due to actions in their past live‘Paedophiles should be routed out, anyone who offends sexually should be dealt with properly in the way the law deals with that.’
Bill is referring to a string of celebrities who have been charged with offences against children since the Jimmy Savile story broke.
Co-star: Bill was referring to his Coronation street co-star Michael Le Vell who has been charged with child sex offencesDuring his appearance on the show, Bill took the opportunity to defend his earlier comments, which have led to backlash.
He said: ‘The trouble is in spiritual matters they are quite complex, if someone understands what you’re saying and puts it in their words, that’s fine.
‘But if someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying and puts it in their own words it’s a distortion and that is what has happened. I don’t want to upset anyone.
Arrested: Jim Davidson has been re-arrested over allegations of sexual offencesAt the time his comments drew stinging criticism from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, which called them an insult to abuse victims.
Dr Jon Bird, from Napac, condemned Roache’s ‘hippy-dippy’ spiritualist beliefs, saying child sex abuse left people with horrific physical and mental scars.
The NSPCC described the actor’s comments as ‘bizarre’ and ‘not helpful’.
Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC’s sexual abuse programme, said: ‘We should be concentrating on helping the thousands of children sexually abused every year who need therapy to re-build their lives.’
The actor is currently in New Zealand taking part in a Coronation Street stage show, which is where he made his previous offensive comments.