Shah defends abuse comments

Javed Khan of the charity Victim Support said comments about sexual abuse made by the former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah were "abhorrent" and "harmful":

Eddy Shah has insisted that public figures accused of sexual abuse are at risk of being the subject of medieval-style "witch hunts".

Explaining comments he made yesterday about victims being "to blame" for abuse, Shah told ITV News: "I said it is clearly wrong for someone to accuse another person of historical abuse with no evidence whatsoever and that you should have to go through a trial.

"That's almost medieval finger pointing on no grounds whatsoever, it becomes a witch hunt," said the former owner of the Today newspaper.

Shah has been criticised by women's groups since making the comments in a BBC interview yesterday.

Eddy Shah has called for nationwide identity cards and better internet regulations to help protect young people from sexual abuse.

The former newspaper owner, clarifying comments he made about abuse yesterday, told ITV News: "I was arguing that we need more checks and balances to ensure these things do not happen to our young people. We should have identity cards for all and better internet control."

Shah, who was cleared last month of raping a schoolgirl in the 1990s, added: "Society also has a part to play in it. If children are brought up as adults too early then there will of course be problems."

Former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah has sought to clarify comments he made yesterday about young girls being "to blame" for the abuse they suffer, saying he was referring only to "historical" cases.

Shah told ITV News today: "My comments were not related to present day claims, they were about historical claims.

"I was talking about the period of time in the 60s and 70s when pop groups had girls throwing themselves at them."

Polly Neate, the Chief Executive of Women's Aid has condemned claims made by newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah that girls "looking for a good time" must take part of the blame if they are abused.

Rape Crisis UK says that comments by the newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah that investigations into alleged abuse following the Jimmy Savile scandal are "a witch hunt", undermine the justice given to rape victims.

"There is no mitigation or excuse - 100% of the responsibility for any act of violence lies with its perpetrator(s)" said Katie Russell from Rape Crisis UK. "Uncomfortable as it might be for us to accept the extent of sexual violence in our society."

"It is essential that we don't allow the lawful process of pursuing justice for survivors, some of whom have lived with their experiences for decades, to be undermined, dismissed and belittled with the language of 'witch-hunts."

"Those who abused positions of power to rape and sexually assault vulnerable women and children must be brought to account, and there is nothing of Salem about that."

Rape Crisis UK says that comments made by the newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah show a "disturbing lack of empathy" but sadly are not new beliefs.

The charity said the opinion that women and girls 'invited' rape was a common belief in some parts of society, and very damaging to the victims of abuse.

Children's charities and those which support rape victims have reacted strongly to the claims made by the former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah that some underage victims "are to blame" for their abuse if they engage in "consensual sex".

Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood said he wanted to meet with Mr Shah to understand his views.

Eddy Shah has revealed he is providing support to a 'very well known person' charged by officers from Operation Yewtree because he had experience of the "horrible horrible feeling" and "emptiness about everything" that occurred when he was accused of rape.

He also revealed that during his recent trial in which he was cleared of the alleged rape of a teenage girl in the 1990s, he experienced suicidal thoughts.

Eddy Shah has told BBC Radio 5Live that the police investigation into alleged abuse following the revelations about the former children's TV presenter Jimmy Savile has turned into a "witch hunt".

He said: "I think it's developing into that - it's easy policing and it's easy prosecutions. It's based on emotion most of it.

"It's going back to the witch hunt theory. I'd rather be dunked in water for two minutes and if I came out alive I was not guilty, and if I was dead I was guilty.

"In a civilised society there's got to be more checks and balances before these sort of accusations are used.

"It's great headlines in papers, it's great to talk about these things. And it's emotional stuff and the emotion always falls on the side of the person who is supposed to have been raped."