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| Coronation Street star Bill Roache apologises for sex abuse comments | Coronation Street star Bill Roache apologises for sex abuse comments |
| (8 days later) | |
| Coronation Street star Bill Roache has apologised after he appeared to suggest victims of paedophiles were being punished for past sins in a TV interview. | Coronation Street star Bill Roache has apologised after he appeared to suggest victims of paedophiles were being punished for past sins in a TV interview. |
| Roache, 80, Ken Barlow in the ITV soap, told New Zealand's One News that the public should be "totally forgiving" of people who have committed child sex crimes. But in a statement yesterday, he said: "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments. | Roache, 80, Ken Barlow in the ITV soap, told New Zealand's One News that the public should be "totally forgiving" of people who have committed child sex crimes. But in a statement yesterday, he said: "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments. |
| I would never say victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood. | I would never say victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood. |
| "I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia." | "I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia." |
| Former DJ Savile has now been exposed as one of the country's most prolific paedophiles who may have abused hundreds of children. | Former DJ Savile has now been exposed as one of the country's most prolific paedophiles who may have abused hundreds of children. |
| In the interview, which touched on Jimmy Savile's abuse, Roache said: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love … these things won't happen to you." | In the interview, which touched on Jimmy Savile's abuse, Roache said: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love … these things won't happen to you." |
| When asked by interviewer Garth Bray if that meant "victims bring things on themselves", Roache said: "No, not quite, but and yet I am … everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives." | When asked by interviewer Garth Bray if that meant "victims bring things on themselves", Roache said: "No, not quite, but and yet I am … everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives." |
| His comments were attacked by victims' groups. | His comments were attacked by victims' groups. |
| "There is a whole range of terrible consequences that are life-long. | "There is a whole range of terrible consequences that are life-long. |
| "This is a real insult, it is horrible. I think a lot of people will be deeply offended by what he said." | "This is a real insult, it is horrible. I think a lot of people will be deeply offended by what he said." |
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