Well known cycling journalist and author David Walsh has issued a statement after his support and character reference in court for a fellow journalist now jailed for child sex crimes blew up in his face.
David Walsh apology for remarks about Tom Humphries
Well known journalist David Walsh, whose pursuit of Lance Armstrong was made into a movie, has apologised for remarks he made in a 2012 interview about fellow sports journalist Tom Humphries.
Two weeks ago on Today FM Matt Cooper aired a segment of the interview from five years ago. At the time Humphries was under investigation for the sexual abuse of an underage girl.
However, Walsh said he knew a lot more about the allegations than most people. He said Humphries was a “fine man” and that that would be proven in time.
Humphries was convicted of the grooming and sexual abuse of the young girl two weeks ago. And today he was sentenced to 2½ years in jail.
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The matter blew up when it emerged Walsh was one of two people who gave character references to the court in support of Humphries.
Lance Armstrong joined in mocking Walsh via Twitter, saying his predicament warmed his heart.
When the fact Walsh had given a character reference for Humphries emerged, Cooper decided to air the segment of the 2012 interview.
It was deemed legally risky at the time because a Garda investigation was still underway.
Today, at the conclusion of the case, Walsh issued a statement through the Press Association containing an apology.
“As justice has now run its course I want to say that I unequivocally condemn what Tom Humphries did and have every sympathy for the victim in the case,” he said.
“I have read her victim impact statement and have some sense of the terrible ordeal she has been through.
“Furthermore, in a radio interview five years ago I spoke about the case in a manner that was insensitive and ill-judged, I apologise unreservedly for that.
“In writing a character reference for Tom I was not in any way condoning the crime for which he has now been sentenced.
“I have been a friend of his for 30 years and since his arrest in 2011 I continued to be his friend because I believe a friend is there through thick and thin.
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“Tom did a terrible wrong for which he has now been given a custodial term.”
In the 2012 Today FM interview, Matt Copper asks Walsh about, what Cooper believed, were his contradictory stances on Lance Armstrong being accused of doping and his journalist friend Humphries being accused of child sex abuse.
At the time, in December, 2012, Walsh was bringing out his book on Armstrong; Seven Deadly Sins. The abuse allegations against Humphries had been published in the media at the time.
Walsh described in his book how Humphries was the most talented journalist he had known. And said he was “a fine man too”.
When he was being interviewed by Cooper at the time about the book, Walsh brought Humphries into the conversation.
In a segment, which you can hear by following this link, broadcast on Today FM two weeks ago Cooper said he couldn’t believe Walsh had made glowing references to Humphries in the interview.
He then went on to ask him about this. Cooper said two weeks ago that he didn’t broadcast that particular part of the interview at the time for legal reasons, as Humphries was under investigation.
But he said because David Walsh had “doubled down” in repeating his support for Tom Humphries in The Sunday Times the weekend before last, he felt it was fair to broadcast the 2012 comments now.
Because Walsh is Irish, has written so extensively about Armstrong and because Armstrong was introduced in a strange way into the Humphries story; we at stickybottle decided to cover the story at the time a fortnight ago.
And because we covered it then, we feel we should also cover the latest developments around Walsh’s statement.
The exchange with Walsh from 2012 in which Cooper introduces Lance Armstrong into the Tom Humphries story is just below. And you can hear the full interview by clicking on this link.
Matt Cooper: Would it not appear strange, perhaps, to people that you’re defending (Tom Humphries) in that some respects he is; it’s a bit parallel to the whole Lance Armstrong situation.
If somebody had defended Lance Armstrong in the way that you’re defending him you would not have believed them.
David Walsh: No, Matt, no. I think the comparison you have made is odious, I really do. I think it’s completely inappropriate.
And all I would say about the Tom situation is that I know a damn sight more about it than most people. I believe Tom is a fine man. And I believe in the end, that will come out and people will understand he’s a fine man.
I guarantee you; anybody who knows Tom and has remained in touch with him over the last 2½ years will offer you exactly the same view that I’m offering.
They will have no doubts. And Tom has shown himself to be a fine man through this.
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