‘Ugly’ Doyle says sorry
FORMER Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle has admitted his behaviour involving sexual harassment allegations was “ugly”.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the scandal broke in late 2017, he repeatedly apologised to the women who made sexual harassment claims against him.
Becoming emotional during a 3AW radio interview with Neil Mitchell on Monday, Mr Doyle said: “I’m so, so sorry. I’ve had to listen to the fact that people have been hurt.
“They have been caused anguish, they’ve been caused pain, they’ve been caused offence by me. And I’m now able to say I’m very sorry.
“When you see the pain that you’ve caused, not just the people that we’re talking about, but people close to me, my own family, when you see the pain that you’ve caused and the potential pain that I might cause to my children, to my grandchildren, it’s ugly.”
Mr Doyle admitted he agreed with the findings of a report by Charles Scerri QC, but said he was not made aware at the time that his advances were unwelcome.
He also said he may not even be aware how many people he had affected with sleazy behaviour over the years.
“That’s an awful thought
that you know you’ve left a scar and you don’t even know it because of your attitudes at the time and your behaviours,” he said. “I’d say to them, too, I am sorry. I never, I never intended to cause offence.”
Mr Doyle said he had become more spiritual and reflected on the darkness in his soul.
“No one likes to think ill of themselves or the worst of themselves, but when you’re confronted with it you do.”
Mr Doyle, who resigned in 2018, said he didn’t go public to change anyone’s mind but to apologise to the victims.
“I have an obligation to, to say to those people that I’m sorry. And I wanted them to hear that directly from me that I’m sorry,” he said.
Police investigated allegations against Mr Doyle for two years, but the case was closed in June 2020 with no charges laid.
Asked on Monday if Mr Doyle’s public interview could lead to the matter being reopened, a police spokeswoman said: “If further information is provided to police in relation to these or any other matters, then appropriate investigation will take place.”
A number of investigations found Mr Doyle had behaved in a sleazy way when sexually harassing women, including former councillor Tessa Sullivan, the first to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour.
A summary report released in March found he engaged in “serious misconduct of a sexual nature” when he touched a woman at a black-tie dinner in 2016. Chair of Melbourne Health at the time, Mr Doyle sat beside Kharla Williams, who was at the dinner with her husband, Professor Mark Walterfang.
The final report detailed how Mr Doyle’s behaviour included “touching the complainant’s inner thigh, close to her groin and the complainant’s lower back”.
Mr Doyle said a range of factors, including alcohol, contributed to his predatory behaviour at the dinner, but said that did not excuse his behaviour. “Alcohol is not an excuse for a lack of respect and a lack of appropriate behaviour. And, I fully accept that,” he said.
He said his fragile mental health was the reason he waited so long to speak out after the damning reports.