Tarbuck: Tackle lewd behaviour of hen parties
COMEDIAN Jimmy Tarbuck has hit back at criticism of a controversial fundraising gala in London, saying those looking for bad behaviour should scrutinise hen parties instead.
The 77-year-old former game show host said he ‘never saw anything untoward’ when he proposed a toast at the now-defunct Presidents Club charity’s scandal-hit fundraiser.
He spoke out after claims that young female hostesses were groped at this year’s event at the Dorchester hotel in Mayfair.
Instead, Liverpudlian Mr Tarbuck hit out at the lewd antics of drunken young women.
He told Sky News: ‘Tell them to go to London airport and see hen parties going on if they want to see bad behaviour. It has to be both ways; it can’t be all men that they are including. I hear on good report hen parties might be banned on some airlines. They should look into that.’
Speaking from his mansion in Surrey, south-east England, about the about the charity fundraiser, Mr Tarbuck added: ‘Were there a lot of pretty girls there? Of course there were.
‘There were over 100 of them, all looking nice, but I never saw, I never heard any bad language or insinuations to them and I left after I had done my bit.’
Asked if there had been ‘an overreaction’ to revelations about the event, he said: ‘I can’t see how sick children should suffer from it.’ He was referring to the decision by Great Ormond Street Hospital to hand back £500,000 (€570,000) in donations raised at the all-male event.
His comments came as Britain’s attorney general warned that criminal offences may have been committed at the Presidents Club dinner. The British government’s chief legal adviser, Jeremy Wright, said he was ‘shocked’ by revelations of what went on at the charity fundraiser, including alleged groping of hostesses – some aged just 18.
He told the Financial Times: ‘What happened on that particular evening was unacceptable. From what I’ve heard described it’s quite possible that criminal offences were committed.’
It also emerged that police investigated an alleged sexual assault at last year’s event, 12 months before the sleaze culture at the charity dinner was exposed. But police in London said their inquiries ended as the alleged victim did not want to take the matter any further.
Asked if victims could fear reporting sexual assaults as they had signed non-disclosure agreements, Mr Wright told the Financial Times: ‘Those who were victims should feel able to come forward, report what happened and if a crime was committed, it should be investigated and, if necessary, prosecuted.’
British Labour MP Jess Phillips yesterday urged guests at the event to report bad behaviour, posting on Twitter: ‘To the men who were at the #PresidentsClub if you saw groping and were appalled I give you a nudge to contact the police and give the names and details to the police.’
Bank of England governor Mark Carney said he was ‘utterly dismayed’ by revelations that hostesses had allegedly been groped at the event attended by some of the most powerful men in Britain.
It was also claimed that prostitutes had attended the charity gala, attended by 360 men, and that some women had been offered money for sex.
‘Give the names to the police’