Paris Street Writes Powerful Open Letter To Andrew Bolt, Saying Comments “Made Him Sick”
Bolt has apologised for describing child grooming as merely being "hit on".
Paris Street, the grooming victim at the centre of the abuse scandal embroiling St Kevin’s College, has written a scathing open letter to Andrew Bolt and Gerard Henderson after the conservative commentators were widely seen to be downplaying the crime on Bolt’s Sky News show.
This story contains discussion of sexual abuse.
When discussing the scandal with Henderson, a columnist from The Australian, on Tuesday night, Bolt used bizarrely softened language to describe the crimes of Peter Kehoe, the teacher who committed the abuse.
“Here we have an ex-teacher, he’s a volunteer coach,” Bolt said. “He gets a St Kevin’s boy, hits on him, no sex involved, but is convicted of grooming.”
Andrew Bolt on St Kevin's revelations by @Milliganreports
He just hit on him
There was NO SEX
How terrible was giving a character reference reallyHenderson:
NOT AT ALL
A terrible pile onWhere is the compassion for the child?#Auspol #BoycottMurdoch #paedophileapologist pic.twitter.com/9Ms4d1UW6z
— 💧 Sleeping Giants Oz 📣 (@slpng_giants_oz) February 18, 2020
The emphasis on “no sex involved”, and the use of the phrase “hits on” have both seen as deliberately designed to underplay the severity of grooming. The comments prompted outcry from the media at large, not to mention from child protection groups.
Street’s open letter interprets the comments the same way, and slams the two men.
“To have what I was subjected to trivialised on Tuesday night, especially after it was mentioned … that I hoped telling my story would be the first step to moving on, is inconsiderate particularly when Gerard, you make the comment: ‘well of course we’re sympathetic to the victim’,” Street writes.
“Also, if you displayed any sympathy towards me, you wouldn’t be minimising what was inflicted upon me. Gerard, you wouldn’t respond to Andrew’s question, ‘How bad was it?’ by saying ‘Well, not at all.’ I was invited to jump into a 59-year-old’s bed.”
After fact-checking a number of key claims made by Bolt, Street eventually sums up his criticisms with these incendiary closing paragraphs.
“Please, both of you, build some common decency and human courtesy into what is required in relation to sexual abuse. Especially if you are to make public comments about it.
Gerard Henderson and Andrew Bolt, how would you feel if someone acted the way Peter Kehoe did towards me, towards children of your own? Would your comments be any different?
Reflect on the comments you have made and never make them again in the future. They make me sick.”
Bolt Apologises To Paris Street
Speaking on his Sky News show on Thursday night, Andrew Bolt denied he had defended Peter Kehoe and said his comments had been misreported, but in a long, rambling apology, Bolt said he’d read Street’s open letter and regretted his comments.
“I used the phrase that [Kehoe had] ‘hit on’ this boy,” Bolt said. “A lot of people took that — particularly people who I’ve criticised before in the media — took this opportunity to say ‘you’re soft on pedophiles and you’re excusing this’.”
“I was so angry and so disappointed, and I was thinking I should have phrased it better, I shouldn’t have used the expression ‘hitting on’, I should have said something really bad, that I hate people who are grooming and sending disgusting texts,” Bolt said.
“But I never imagined that people would assume that perhaps I endorsed this or played it down or belittled it, and that wasn’t my intention.”
“I should have thought of Paris Street, the boy, and how he may have heard it… and I’m really sorry to you, Paris. I’m really sorry… I should have thought about how you’d take it, and I regret it.”
You can watch Bolt’s full apology here.
If you need support, 1800 Respect is available 24 hours for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. Contact them on 1800 737 732.