Victoria Police later charged him with seven counts of indecent assault and six counts of common law assault against four women on the set of the Rocky Horror Show in 2014. An even better time in 2017,' he rambled on, breaking down in angry tears. Actor Craig McLachlan has opened up about his fall from grace for the first time. Spotlight: Can this bizarre doco uncancel Craig McLachlan? The woman, I kid you not, [she was] shielding her children from me as I walked past. The severe psychological impact of trial by media, forcing you to live in a shipping container. The woman, I kid you not, [she was] shielding her children from me as I walked past. This was after he said he lost one phone and destroyed another. became the second witness to testify to worrying that the actor could take his life, daily morning and afternoon email newsletters. Instead, he insisted on staying with Ms Hayes and holding the ladder, saying: "I'm going to hold the ladder.". . Having to hear the suggestion that maintaining a friendship with someone necessarilymeans they didn't touch you inappropriately. After 10 days of presenting his case, McLachlan pulled the pin on the very day 11 women were due to start giving evidence about the actor, including incidents of sexual harassment, indecent exposure, indecent assault and bullying. Craig McLachlan's bombshell admission on Channel Seven - 7NEWS Kylie Stevens McLachlan continues to protest his innocence and claims his accuser continued to text him for four years after the production ended. Complaints about McLachlans behaviour to the shows production company, The Gordon Frost Organisation, had been greeted with the threats of defamation and when the womens complaints were made directly to McLachlan, he used his position as the star of the show to threaten them that he would make sure they never worked again. A fresh witness has gone public with claims supporting Craig McLachlan's denials that he touched a co-star's genitals while performing in a musical live on stage. I burst into tears and I rang Nessa and said 'How am I going to survive this?'. Since then, the 55-year-old has appeared on Home and Away, McLeod's Daughters and The Wrong Girl. The co-editor of TV news website TV Blackbox also weighed in on the production of the interview: Entertainment reporter Peter Ford said the interview raised compelling questions. Three more women made claims that revolve around the same themes - uninvited touching, kissing, sexual innuendos. The boom operator Jenny Pearson, who worked with McLachlan on some of the Doctor Blake series, said he had a wonderful reputation. He believes this timing was deliberate to get him out of his job. The 7NEWS Spotlight documentary will be the first time Craig McLachlan has spoken publicly since he was dropped from the Channel 7 drama series The Doctor Blake Mysteries in 2018.. McLachlan's career came to a halt after several female cast members on the 2014 . Really? Look what they're done. McLachlan said the ordeal made him contemplate suicide, revealing that he contemplated the unthinkable my family would be better off without me. Hayes felt uncomfortable and a number of further takes were required to complete the scene as a result of McLachlan's conduct. That man will never again hold the regard of women. McLachlan had maintained his alleged sexual offending while working on the production was no more inappropriate than a cricketer giving a teammate a pat on the bum. The document released this week by the Supreme Court isthe ABC's defence to Mr McLachlan's defamation claim. "While seated on the edge of the couch, McLachlan repeatedly asked Wouters to kiss him by repeatedly tapping his finger on his lips and saying in a whiney tone words to the effect 'Can I have a little kiss? 'Let's just say that I miscalculated. The stage crew member, claiming to be centimetres away watching McLachlan and his accuser when the alleged act occurred, supported McLachlan's claims - saying it wouldn't have been physically possible. and AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/craig-mclachlan-defamation-defence-reveals-new-allegations/100140238, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app, Supplied / ABC News: Dan Harrison / Instagram, Businesses to be forced to pay superannuation on payday, fetching more in retirement income for workers, Health minister launches war on vaping, Medicare reforms, 'The timing is right': Outgoing Qantas boss says airline is 'strong' as it appoints first female CEO, This man advises his clients that elections, rates and mortgages are invalid, Doja Cat, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman attend Met Gala for fashion's biggest night, Perfect storm brewing for housing market and it could make buying your own home a pipedream, Tasmania enters AFL after decades of campaigning, Man in critical condition after gas explosion at Victorian recycling facility, Treasurer refuses to confirm reported JobSeeker lift for people over 55, but says targeted support in the budget, found Mr McLachlan not guilty of seven indecent assault charges and six common assault charges, Judge notes possible 'self-entitled sense of humour', but finds McLachlan not guilty of assaults, 'I totally object': Ukraine war supporters' presence at Sydney concert condemned, Sex offender Francis Wark fails to get his conviction quashed for killing 17yo Hayley Dodd in 1999, 'Until we meet in heaven': Maryborough community comes to grips with triple fatality as loved ones remembered, Adelaide man in his 20s in hospital with meningococcal disease, It's a remote coastal paradise but even this town can't escape the Northern Territory's crime wave, Clare desperately wanted to stop drinking but she couldn't make it stick. She did not fix his microphone and walked out of the dressing room," the document says. Despite being acquitted, McLachlan is still facing pressure, and tearfully told Channel 7 it had resulted in the absolute demolition of his life. Ms Hayes played the role of Virginia McKay in season two of Dr Blakein 2014 and was on set for three days of filming. There was an error submitting the form. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. He denied he was suggesting they were making up their claims, saying he had not named anyone and at the time believed they were not asked back to the show. The court only learnt of this potentially vital haul of material after he was heard boasting about it in raw footage recorded during his tell-all interview with Channel 7s Spotlight program. Susie O'Brien. Justice Carolyn Simpson replied: Misogynys perhaps not the best word to use, but, I mean, essentially the case is about Mr McLachlans attitude to women and his treatment of them . We're shown behind-the-scenes footage of the ABC interviews - that aired on the 7.30 Report in 2018 - stopping and starting. "Craig is in a world of trying to put his life together. In this post-Weinstein hashtag-me-too world-gone-mad, I can't win,' he said. It doesnt matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home. 'I didn't touch her vagina, that's the important thing,' McLachlan told the program. '[The girl who] texted us continually? Mr McLachlan also said at the time he never had any romantic interest in a female cast member and never made any unwanted advances to any cast members during the show. On national television. As far as capitulations go, they don't come much bigger than actor Craig McLachlan abandoning his high-profile defamation case and agreeing to pay the $2 million-plus costs of The Sydney Morning . Describing McLachlan as a very sensitive person, Thompson, whose stage name is Danny Tesla, said he had been worried the reports would destroy his friend. Him stating, a post Weinstein, #MeToo world gone mad made me so ill. "Samson was so surprised by the incident that she forgot her lines. McLachlan stormed away, screaming from off camera: 'F**k people. McLachlan said he felt like his family and girlfriend, conductor Vanessa Scammell, who also appeared in the 7NEWS Spotlight special, would be 'better off without me'. 'And I think, after three and a half years, after not being able to speak, the ability to actually let it out' she trailed off, before nodding when asked if it was 'too much'. McLachlan in his evidence agreed he had brought sexual jokes and pranks to The Rocky Horror Show, including deep-throating bananas and pretending to masturbate crew members arms. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Devastating tornado picks up car and hurls it through air in Florida, Student kicked out of school for 'there are only two genders' t-shirt, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation. Even a heater. This is. Thompson told the jury that up until about 2017 McLachlan had a very good reputation and was incredibly successful. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Devastating tornado picks up car and hurls it through air in Florida, Student kicked out of school for 'there are only two genders' t-shirt, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation. Then we start with Act I, because for some reasonthis TV special is divided into acts as though it's a Shakespearean tragedy, which depending on what side of the fence you fall on, I guess it could be??? Thankfully, as it turns out, it didn't play out,' he said. ", The document also alleges that Mr McLachlan returned to the stage to perform the song Wild and Untamed Thing: "During that song, Mr McLachlan stood in the middle of the stage where two rows of the cast were attempting to cross each other in a choreographed move as if to obstruct their movement. Reporters in Australia are being accused of engaging in egregious journalistic malpractice after newly obtained footage allegedly shows them coaching answers from women making sexual assault allegations against Australian actor Craig McLachlan.Raw camera tapes from the interviews, conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Company and Fairfax Media, Shame on you Channel 7 shame. The defence document details claims that when Tim Maddren, played opposite Mr McLachlan in The Rocky Horror "Brad bed scene", Mr McLachlan started a joke where he would take Mr Maddren's finger and simulate masturbation of it and pretend to give it oral sex. For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on: 13 11 14, By While Magistrate Wallington said she accepted some of the complainants' evidence, she said it did not meet the high criminal standards required to prove the charges. The actor then delves into the very complex issue of his mental health, referring to a suicide attempt. Really? 'I want it noted the following: The four complainants were brave and honest witnesses. Ms Wallington labelled the actors behaviour as egocentric and said his self-entitled sense of humour may have led him to believe the victims were consenting to his acts. "Even as a 100 per cent innocent, acquitted man, I feel I continue to be f*cked over day after day - by our friend," he says through tears. On the Sunday night, before the 7.30 Report ran on Monday January 8, 2018, McLachlan says he stood on stage at the Rocky Horror Show and heard the crowd's cheers. Perhaps there are insights to be gleaned from McLachlan's story. However, she ultimately rejected police allegations the former Neighbours star touched a womans genitalia over her costume on stage, that he stuck his tongue into one womans mouth and that he felt up a womans thigh. But once McLachlan argues thatthose remarks were just a result of the 'Vinestein' context (he really does say Vinestein instead of Weinstein, as in Harvey Weinstein, at one point), we move on to the issue that upsets him the most: the friend who betrayed him. I made some miscalculations in weight and how I attempted to deal with things. The f**k I am!' Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org, Craig McLachlan denies he manipulated and insulted fellow actors during Rocky Horror Show, court hears, Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 'I didn't touch her vagina in that scene or in any scene.'. On May 16, Channel Seven aired its Craig McLachlan "tell-all" interview, Spotlight: Horror Show, which marked the actor's first media interview since his acquittal, where he was found not guilty of all charges. He had endured months of scrutiny which saw him and his partner Vanessa forced to make their way through media packs outside of a Melbourne court. As McLachlan and his partner retell a story about one of the alleged victims rushing out of a cafe to hug them and say how good it was to see them - just six weeks before the allegations would come out - I notice something. McLachlan has been singing in the background, and he's singing about being falsely accused. In either event, they are to the best of my knowledge utterly and entirely false.". Craig McLachlan Interview on Dentons "Enough Rope" - 1 of 3 Joe Bananas 210 subscribers Subscribe 43K views 16 years ago Craig Mclachlan from Andrew Dentons tv show "Enough Rope". Craig McLachlan allegedly threw tantrums and threatened Rocky Horror "Steele was very young and nervous. Mr Maddren decided to change the scene and not point his finger at the star. "We have no idea what is to come of that, or where he stands. "What a f*cking joke," he says. And in the upcoming Channel Seven special, which is set to . In many parts, it felt like an infomercial for McLachlan, rather than a defence. For more from Clare Stephens, you can follow her on Instagram. It happens to men who journalists methodically gather a bunch of reliable sources to speak out against. Just to clarify, that's objectively not the suggestion. Performer Daniel Thompson tells defamation trial the media reports shattered McLachlan and he worried the actor would take his own life. Oh, I really miss you, Craig. As you can imagine, we have a lot to say. 'When we parted the curtain, you could actually see him in that position.'. Broadcast: Mon 31 May 2021, 8:50pm Published: Mon 31 May 2021, 9:22pm More Information Judgment, Magistrate's Court of Victoria, R v McLachlan, 15 December, 2020 Transcript "He also moved as if to tickle her. I can't win. And waves. Australian Associated Press Thu 19 May 2022 02.12 EDT Craig McLachlan was loved by everyone in the entertainment industry until he was shunned after media reports accused the actor of indecent. He says he remembers thinking he'd never hear people cheering for him again. Outside his lawyers office after his acquittal, McLachlan said he put his trust in the law. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. At that time, he had been sacked from both the musical and his TV series,The Doctor Blake Mysteries. The interview prompted a stage crew member to come forward with new information about one of the allegations raised during McLachlan's recent criminal trial. 'I was not persuaded that there was evidence of motive, or that the complaints were made for reason of career ambition or any other such reason.'. Shame on @Channel7 for giving Craig McLachlan a tell-all platform, framing him as the victim after several accusations of sexual assault. Anyone who understands Narcissistic Personality Disorder will see right through this performance. McLachlan ranted, in tears, before his partnerScammell attempted to soothe him, and asked the interview to be cut. Channel 7 is facing a backlash over its airing of a tell all interview with actor Craig McLachlan. All times AEST (GMT +10). Stay safe, be kind to each other, we will see you in the New Year., 7News Spotlight: Horror Show airs on Channel 7 at 7pm Sunday. And you might get some sense of why I was admitted to a mental health facility. He is best known for appearing in the soap operas Neighbours [2] and Home and Away and the BBC One spy drama Bugs. Just because the court designed by men doesn't always reach this finding, the court of women knows the truth and acts accordingly. Sign up here. In December, Magistrate Belinda Wallington found the women who accused McLachlan were brave and honest witnesses, but said the prosecutors had not met the required standard for her to find McLachlan guilty of the allegations. The explosive interview with Craig McLachlan, acquitted of serious criminal charges that cost him his career. This particular footage is replayed several times throughout the show, implying that Seven, at least, believes it's a smoking gun. At many points, but particularly here, it seems like Sevenare trying to show us how talented he is, which isn't the point, really. In the industry everyone loved him including myself, he said. (@lisa_aussiechic) May 16, 2021, While another viewer claimed the interview only highlighted McLachlans Narcissistic Personality Disorder.. Anna Samson is an actress on Channel 7's hit soapHome and Away. You're referring to that individual? pasquale antonio (@pas3p3) May 10, 2021. Craig McLachlan was loved by everyone in the entertainment industry until he was shunned after media reports accused the actor of indecent assault and harassment, a defamation trial has been told. This doesn't seem relevant. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation.For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZYWatch more ABC News content ad-free on iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2Like ABC News on Facebook: http://facebook.com/abcnews.auFollow ABC News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/abcnews_auFollow ABC News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abcnews#ABCNews #ABCNewsAustralia Later in the interview, the actor also shared footage of the shipping container he spent time living in while out of work and in hiding. and (modern). 'This girl actively maintained and pursued a friendship. Outrage over bizarre Channel 7 interview with Craig McLachlan. Under the heading'Sexual harassment of Wouters', the document alleges that during the Melbourne leg of the tour, Mr McLachlan entered her dressing room and sat on the edge of a couch while Wouters sat at a dressing table. A voiceover of a young woman tells us, "back before the allegations that changed everything, life for Craig McLachlan and his longtime partner, Vanessa Scammell, was perfect.". On the Sunday night, before the 7.30 Report ran on Monday January 8, 2018, McLachlan says he stood on stage at the Rocky Horror Show and heard the crowd's cheers. On Monday morning, radio host Ben Fordham publicly supported one of the alleged victims. "The plaintiff has been greatly injured,his business, personal and professional reputation will be brought into public disrepute, odium, ridicule and contempt," the statement says. You're referring to that girl?' "On the first day of filming, Hayes was required to play a dead woman in a scene shot inside a room set up to look like a morgue," the defence document says. I was fearing the worst, said the multifaceted performer Daniel Thompson, who on Thursday became the second witness to testify to worrying that the actor could take his life. I made some miscalculations in weight and how I attempted to deal with things. If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel likeyou need to speak to someone, please call 1800RESPECT(1800 737 732)the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. Post continues below. And that's when she made an interesting observation: "Were the current law applicable, it is possible the result may have been different. Yes, I mucked in with the rest of them, I tried to give as good as I got. The reporting of these types of stories is something that is not taken lightly. In case viewers don't understand the intended mood of the programme, Seven helps us. The document, released to the ABC this week by the NSW Supreme Court, details fresh claims by actresses Tamzen Hayes and Anna Samson, who played opposite Mr McLachlan in The Doctor Blake Mysteries, and Teagan Wouters, who played Janet in The Rocky Horror Show. Craig McLachlan thanks supporters after his Channel Seven interview It's unclear whether it's evidence of the ABC 'coaching' victims, or simply a producer helping a woman paraphrase what she's been trying to say. The woman does notrepeat the words of the ABC producer, and instead uses her own words to point to McLachlan's influence. Mark Lawrence was one of two crew members there for every performance during the production. Mr Lawrence was then asked if he was ever approached by the authorities or police to recall his version of events. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14 and support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732) and Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. A friend has told his defamation trial the actor had been loved in the entertainment industry until he was accused of indecent assault and harassment. Before the interview had even begun, furious viewers took to social media to slam both the actor and the TV station and continued throughout the screening, with many saying they had to change the channel. '[The girl who] texted us continually? How Craig McLachlan's ill-advised tell-all Channel Seven interview In December, a Melbourne magistrate found Mr McLachlan not guilty of seven indecent assault charges and six common assault charges relating to his alleged conduct towards four women while playing the starring role of Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. ", "Hope your lives are good. That should get me on the ABC., In relation to the texts, McLachlans barrister said the defamation case was not about misogyny. "Samson's character was asking McLachlan's character about her husband's recent murder. He allegedly called her a gorgeous woman and said: "I love 22-year-olds.". Also in the defence document, Tim Maddren, a former star of the children's musical group Hi-5, alleges Mr McLachlan bullied and threatened him after he refused to play along with an on-stage joke involving Mr McLachlan simulating masturbation and oral sex on Mr Maddren's finger. McLachlan and Vanessa Scammel, his partner of 10 years, finally tell their story. He was cast as Henry Ramsay, brother of Kylie Minogue's character Charlene, in Channel 10's Neighbours. McLachlan then said words to the effect of you are really beautiful in a whispered tone and leaning into Hayes ear so that only she could hear him. I'm an innocent man," the former Gold Logie winning soapie heart-throb told Spotlight viewers just over a year ago, months after being acquitted of criminal charges of indecent assault and assault in December 2020. First look at the bizarre Channel 7 interview with Craig McLachlan In six weeks' time [to know what] she had planned.'. 'I could name the supermarket. After many requests from McLachlan, Wouters walked over to McLachlan and gave him a peck on the lips. 'This girl actively maintained and pursued a friendship. In this post-Weinstein hashtag-me-too world-gone-mad, I can't win,' he said.