Latest news with #misconduct
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Gregg Wallace addresses claims he 'took his trousers down' on set of MasterChef - after being sacked in wake of inquiry into alleged misconduct
Gregg Wallace has addressed claims he 'took his trousers down' while on the set of MasterChef - after being sacked for alleged misconduct on the show. Gregg, 60, stepped down from MasterChef after complaints were made about his behaviour and following a report into his conduct, in which 45 of 83 complaints were upheld. The review concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour'. It added that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated', with 'one incident of unwelcome physical contact' also substantiated. But in a post on Instagram on Sunday Gregg made a statement about the claims, insisting there were 'no findings in the investigation he took his trousers down in front of anybody'. He said: 'Would you like the truth about the stories regarding me taking my trousers down, listen. There are no findings in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody. 'And any claim that the investigation report says any different is simply not true, no matter where that comes from. 'So I'll say it one more time. There is no finding in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody. Any claim that the report says differently is not true. 'I hope that clears it all up for you.' He penned in the caption of his video: 'The Truth - more to come.' At the end of last month Gregg hit out at critics for comparing him to Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, insisting he is 'not a groper, sex pest or a flasher'. The former MasterChef host tearfully apologised to anyone he had hurt in the wake of dozens of allegations of inappropriate behaviour, including claims that he dropped his trousers in front of staff. In his first interview since being sacked by the BBC in light of the complaints, Wallace broke down in tears as he spoke of the 'hurt' suffered by him and his family, insisting he had been unfairly treated in the media spotlight. He told The Sun that he understood some of his actions may have offended people and 'weren't socially acceptable' but denied being a 'wrong-un'. 'I'm not a groper. People think I've been taking my trousers down and exposing myself - I am not a flasher. People think I'm a sex pest. I am not,' he added. Wallace said that being discussed in the same breath as notorious sex offenders Savile and Edwards was 'horrific' and admitted he was scared to go outside in case people 'abuse' him in the street. Wallace insisted he is 'not trying to play the victim' and claimed his autism diagnosis was partly responsible for some of his alleged behaviour as it means he struggles 'to read people' and can be perceived as 'odd' at times. He also again defended allegations - which he claims have been 'sexualised' - that he would not wear underwear while working on the cooking show, saying it was due to his 'hypersensitivity' as a result of the condition. The ex Eat Well for Less? presenter told the Sun that while he didn't deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been 'perceived incorrectly'. Wallace claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with 'found fault with me'. He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role. 'I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,' he said. Wallace has faced backlash from autism charities over similar claims, with some accusing him of using autism as an excuse for his alleged inappropriate behaviour. Seema Flower, founder of disabilities consultancy Blind Ambition, told BBC News there was 'no excuse' for being inappropriate to people in society. 'Where does it leave us if we use autism as excuse to behave in whatever way we like?' she asked. Emily Banks, founder of neurodiversity training body Enna, also condemned Wallace. She said: 'To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct. It doesn't absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn't mean you can't tell the difference between right and wrong.' While Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him 'may miss social cues sometimes. But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour.' 'Comments like this stigmatize us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community.' Wallace has previously said he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on MasterChef. 'My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,' Wallace said. 'Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.' During the interview, Wallace also defended his sacked former co-host John Torode, telling the paper he is 'not a racist'. Torode was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of a review carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin into the alleged behaviour of co-presenter Wallace. Torode said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation. Pointing to the allegation against Torode, Wallace told the Sun: 'I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist.' 'There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through,' he added. Torode never defended his MasterChef colleague when allegations against him first emerged in December last year. Wallace was said to be 'furious' with his former co-star and unfollowed him and his wife Lisa on Instagram. Wallace admitted that he and Torode 'never really did get on that well', insisting they are 'two very, very different characters'. But he went on to say they had made 'bloody good telly together for 20 years'. The latest series of MasterChef aired last week with Gregg and John heavily edited out.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Female prison officer admits inappropriate relationship with inmate
A female prison officer faces jail after admitting an 'inappropriate relationship' with an inmate. Megan Breen, 23, initially denied the fling with the unnamed prisoner, which happened while she was working at two prisons in Wales. But she later changed her plea to admit misconduct in a public office and will be sentenced for the offence next month. Breen was working at both HMP Usk, a category C jail, and nearby HMP Prescoed, an open prison, when the offence was committed. Both jails are in Gwent, South Wales. HMP Usk is a closed prison for adult male vulnerable inmates, who include sex offenders and convicted police officers. The charge states: 'While acting as a public officer, namely a prison officer, wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification, [you] misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder by having a relationship with a prisoner.' The crime was said to have taken place between February and May 2022. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that a second allegation of illegally accessing a computer would not be proceeded. Breen, of Newport, Gwent, was released on bail but warned she could face jail when she returns to court to be sentenced. Misconduct in public office is a serious offence which in the most extreme cases carries a penalty of life imprisonment. Judge Carl Harrison ordered a pre-sentence report but told Breen that 'all sentencing options' remained open. HMP Usk houses 280 inmates and is managed jointly with HMP Prescoed, which is three miles away and houses offenders serving the final term of their sentences before being released. Female prison officers have been allowed to work inside male establishments since the early 1980s and there are currently about 15,000 women employed in jails in England and Wales.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Prison officer admits 'inappropriate' relationship with inmate
A female prison officer is facing jail after admitting an "inappropriate relationship" with an inmate. Megan Breen, 23, initially denied the fling with the unnamed prisoner while working at two prisons in north she later changed her plea to admit the illicit affair behind bars. Breen admitted misconduct in a public office and will be sentenced for the offence next month. Breen was working at both the category C jail HMP Usk and nearby open prison HMP Prescoed, both in Wales, when the offence was committed. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here. Police hunting killer on the run as family of 'horrific' Welsh murder victim say they are 'terrified' She told police officers she had come to collect her car keys, the problem was it had £45,000 of cocaine in it The charge states: "While acting as a public officer, namely a prison officer, wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder by having a relationship with a prisoner."The crime was said to have taken place between February and May 2022. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard a second allegation of illegally accessing a computer will not be proceeded of Newport, was bailed but warned she could face jail when she returns to court for sentence on September Carl Harrison ordered a pre-sentence report but told her "all sentencing options" remain C prison Usk houses 280 inmates and is managed jointly with open prison HMP Prescoed which is three miles away and houses offenders serving the final term of their sentences before being released. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice READ MORE: Fire crews tackle large blaze that can be seen from miles away READ MORE: Three major changes to driving rules planned
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christopher Biggins condemned over ‘grabbing women' remarks
Christopher Biggins has been called out after attempting to defend sacked MasterChef host Gregg Wallace with the admission that he used to 'grab women' while working on sets. The 76-year-old pantomime actor bizarrely joked that his past conduct towards women would've landed him in 'prison' if he did it today. Biggins, who also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2014, claimed that this type of misconduct was not uncommon 25 years ago and was considered 'affection'. Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'Years ago, I would approach a woman from behind and grab her... Well, I'm gay, so it didn't matter. And I'd like to still be doing it, but I don't think I can anymore. 'If I were to do that now, I'd be put into prison. Twenty-five years ago, we were all doing it. It was a thing of affection.' He continued: 'Everybody is now terrified. I wouldn't want to be a comedian. I think comedians have a really tough job.' Refuge ambassador and former Love Island star Sharon Gaffka told the publication: 'Touching someone without their consent, regardless of the context, is never funny.' The Independent has contacted Biggins' representatives for comment. His remarks come after he revealed that he had reached out to Wallace and his family following his departure from MasterChef. 'I love Gregg and I love his wife,' he explained during an appearance at the National Reality TV Awards. 'I've tried to get hold of her because they must be going through a terrible time, because suddenly careers are vanishing, it's so wrong.' Wallace's position on MasterChef was deemed 'untenable' last month when an investigation into historical misconduct upheld 45 of 83 allegations against the presenter, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Meanwhile, John Torode, who had presented MasterChef alongside Wallace since 2005, was sacked just a day later, as the same report upheld a complaint against him involving 'an extremely offensive racist term'. The latest series of MasterChef, which is presented by Wallace and Torode, premiered this week. The heavily edited first three episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer and appeared to feature fewer jokes and interactions between the hosts and contestants. Some viewers said they felt 'conflicted' seeing the hosts on screen following the accusations against them. One contestant, Sarah Shafi, agreed to be edited out of the series after objecting to it being broadcast over concerns that it sent the wrong message to women. The BBC later revealed that news about the show had an impact on ratings, as the launch show was watched by just 1.96 million, as opposed to the 2.73 million who watched last year's debut episode. The fact that this series launched in August, rather than in the usual April slot, may also have affected the viewership. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Prison officer, 23, pleads GUILTY to ‘inappropriate relationship' with inmate while working at two different jails
A PRISON officer has pleaded guilty to having an illicit affair with an inmate while she worked at two different jails. Megan Breen, 23, embarked on a three-month "inappropriate relationship" with the unnamed lag. At the time, she was working at HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed, which are both in Gwent, South Wales. Breen previously denied misconduct in a public office but today changed her plea to guilty. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard a second allegation of illegally accessing a computer will not be proceeded with. Breen was bailed but warned she could face jail when she returns to court for sentencing next month. The charge states that Breen - while acting as a public officer - "wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification" committed to misconduct that "amounted to an abuse of the public's trust" by having a relationship with a prisoner" The offence took place between February and May 2022. HMP Usk is a category C prison that houses 280 inmates. It is managed jointly with open prison HMP Prescoed. It comes just days after a probation officer was jailed after she had a relationship with a convicted burglar behind bars. Leonie Wilkinson, 27, enjoyed a fling with career criminal Gary Hampson, 26, while he was caged at HMP Preston, Lancs. The pair had first dated as teenagers and struck up another romance when Wilkinson took up an official job in the prison. They exchanged dozens of phone calls and naughty messages, although their inappropriate relationship never became 'physical or sexual'. And in June, a lovestruck prison officer had phone sex with an inmate then bombarded his mum with 900 messages to keep the fling going. 3 3
