BBC presenter Michael Buerk has said he was “clumsy” to criticise the Ched Evans rape victim for being drunk – but maintained her intoxicated state was central to the court case and “reflected on the kind of society that we are”.
The long-serving journalist and presenter caused outrage in a trailer for Radio 4 discussion show Moral Maze, debating the rehabilitation of criminals, when he said neither former Sheffield United footballer Evans nor the woman he attacked emerged “with any credit” because she was so intoxicated “she could barely stand”.
The corporation was forced to apologise after women’s rights campaigners hit out at the comments.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, Buerk said: “If I gave the impression that the two issues of her being drunk and the rape for which Ched Evans was convicted were some sort of moral equivalent, that would be terrible and something I would need to apologise for. It was not my intention.
“Having said that the fact that the victim was drunk was the central issue in the court case. In fact it was her case that she was so drunk she was incapable of giving consent and therefore it was the crime of rape.”
Buerk said he was “not sure whether we are in a position where we should not mention that. Perhaps I was clumsy in mentioning it”.
Welsh striker Evans was released from prison on Friday having served half of a five-year sentence for raping a woman in a hotel room. Another defendant, Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald, was cleared.
Evans, 25, released a video message on Wednesday in which he pleaded for a chance to play professionally again, saying he regretted his decision to cheat on girlfriend Natasha Massey – but he maintained that the sex was consensual and he was determined to clear his name.
Buerk said he wanted to get over some elements of the case which made it so complex and “in a way reflected on the kind of society that we are and issues we have to deal with”.
In an interview with 5 Live’s Peter Allen, Buerk said he “absolutely accepted” that getting drunk was not comparable with being a rapist. “Conflation is not equivalence,” said Buerk.
“What I was trying to get across was this case is packed full of very, very difficult and complex issues and I was not intending to conflate it and treat them with some sort of equivalence. I wrote it, I was totally responsible for it. If I gave an impression I didn’t intend I have done my job pretty badly.”
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