Gyles Brandreth has sparked fury after defending Dutch child rapist Steven van de Velde’s inclusion in the Olympics, claiming he is entitled to ‘a fresh start’.
Viewers have now called for the This Morning presenter to be axed from the show following his comments on the 29-year-old athlete.
Velde was selected to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball despite his rape conviction, a move which caused sports fans and competitors across the globe to speak out against his inclusion in the Games.
While discussing Velde’s ‘lenient sentence’ on the show with a shocked Dermot O’Leary, Rochelle Humes and Camilla Tominey, Brandreth sparked intense backlash on social media after suggesting that the Olympic athlete could be rehabilitated.
He said: ‘Put that aside for a moment, we don’t know why the sentence was so lenient.
Gyles Brandreth sparked fury on social media after defending Olympic athlete child rapist Steven van de Velde’s inclusion in the Games
Steven van de Velde (pictured) was booed during his debut Olympics match against Italy. He is a convicted child rapist
‘It was reduced to 13 months by a court. So the whole point of a trial system is that serious people like the judges assess this and come to a conclusion’.
He added: ‘So it’s assumed that was right, he served his sentence and when people have served their sentence, do we give them a fresh start?
‘Do we say, ‘you’re now coming out, this is your chance, you’ve served your sentence, you now get to rebuild your life, we would like you to rebuild you life.’
Camilla jumped in, admitting she ‘drew the line’ at violent crimes, leading Brandreth to question: ‘So you are banned forever from everything, are you?’
Several fans flooded X, formerly Twitter, with comments of their shock and horror regarding Brandreth’s statement.
One said: ‘Gyles Brandeth, standing up for the rapist that is competing in the Olympic games. He says he should be allowed to be rehabilitated. No, Gyles, you are totally wrong with this. Another Tory who is completely out of touch with the mood of Britain’.
Another wrote: ‘Gyles should be cancelled and sacked at this point.
A third added: ‘Sexual predators are on a register for a reason because it’s likely that they will re offend. Gyles please educate yourself’.
‘Gyles !!No no no !! A child rapist ??!!! He should NOT be there !!’ said another.
A fifth then pleaded: ‘Get Giles of the TV, he’s an old out of touch idiot that has just sympathised with a child rapist.’
Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year year-old British girl in August 2014 when he was 19.
The Dutchman had travelled from Amsterdam to the UK and raped the girl at a house in Milton Keynes.
Despite being told by a judge that his conviction was ‘career ending’, van de Velde resumed his volleyball career after serving just 12 months of his four year sentence.
Yesterday, the 6ft 6ins athlete was booed by some members of the audience at the Champs de Mars park under the Eiffel Tower as the Netherlands fell to a 2-1 defeat against Italy during his debut Olympic match.
The sex offender’s teammate Matthew Immers told the press after the match that he was ‘surprised’ by the reaction to van de Velde, before saying he was a ‘really good example’ from how he behaves now.
Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year year-old British girl in August 2014 when he was 19
The Dutch volleyball player, 29, served 12 months in England for the crime and was transferred to the Netherlands to serve another month before being released
The athlete, who was wearing the number ‘one’ in Netherlands blue and orange colours, appeared to have no reaction to the negative reaction.
After the match Immers, 23, was grilled by the press with van de Velde nowhere to be seen – the convicted sex offender has been barred from speaking to the media.
Asked if van de Velde had ever expressed any remorse to him for rape, Immers replied: ‘No, he doesn’t, he doesn’t explain it.’
He continued: ‘I know the guy for three, four years and we played every tournament and right now they make a really big discussion of it [the child rape conviction].’
Asked whether a convict child rapist provided a good role model for young people aspiring to become athletes, he replied: ‘I don’t know.
‘I think Steven is a really good example from how he is right now.
‘[Van de Velde conviction] it’s in the past. He had his punishment.’
The convicted rapist refused to give interviews after the match and was whisked with by three body guards.
A Paris2024 official said: ‘Van de Velde was taken away with three body guards. Normally everyone comes through the mixed zone.
‘But he didn’t come through to avoid any media violence’.
On Saturday, it was reported that an email sent by a a senior Dutch Olympic official insisted: ‘Steven is NOT a peadophile [sic]; you really don’t think that de Dutch NOC would send to Paris who IS a real risk? No, he isn’t a risk.’
A petition calling on Olympic chiefs to kick van de Velde out the Games has gained more than 108,000 signatures, and the British Olympic Association has expressed its anger about his competing.
Set up by Lauren Muir, it states: ‘The tarnished record of van de Velde should not be swept under the rug, nor should it stand as a symbol of achievement at an event as prestigious as the Olympics.
‘This is about more than just one person; it’s about the worldwide image of the Olympics and the kind of society we want to live in.’
In a statement, the Netherlands Olympic Committee last week it said it was ‘implementing concrete measures to ensure a safe sporting environment’ for all participants.’
‘These measures include, at the request of van de Velde, alternative accommodation for van de Velde and no media contact during his stay in Paris,’ a spokesman said.
He claimed that the measures were in line with ‘standard practice’ and had been developed following a ‘thorough risk assessment taking into account all affected groups’.