Lawsie: ‘you can all go to hell’

After yesterday's controversy over John Laws' questioning of a victim of abuse (see more here including the audio), today Lawsie has started his show by broadcasting a statement.

In it he blamed "trumped-up journalists" and "the clowns of Twitter" and "the righteous brothers down there in Melbourne" for inflaming the story.

"The newspapers have been having a field day ever since we took a call from a lady named Carol who had been repeatedly sexually abused as a girl and through her teens."

"It has been claimed that I asked a series of alarming questions, if anyone has [been offended] I wouldn't offend you for anything."

"If I created any ambiguity about what Carol had been through, then I am truly sorry."

"At no point in our conversation did Carol once complain, not once, however for anyone who did get that impression, I'm sorry. That wasn't an impression I wanted to create. You know I was genuinely concerned for Carol's welfare."

Backtracking on one of the questions that caused outrage, 'You weren't provocative?', Laws said:

"Of course you can't be provocative at the age of six."

Laws replayed the second phone call from Carol where she said:

"I just want to say [your] question did take me aback, but it's OK that you asked me that question. It was a fair question."

"I do understand how other women, they would be very offended by it."

"But because I've faced it, and I do have my hard days, I didn't find it a hard question."

Then Lawsie told his detractors "You can all go to hell. It doesn't bother to me."

See more at news.com.au here.