CHILD protection campaigners have criticised claims by former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah that underage girls involved in consensual sex with adults must take the blame for abuse they suffer.
The former owner of the now-defunct Today title spoke out after he was found not guilty at the Old Bailey of raping a girl who was aged between 12 and 15 at upmarket London hotels
He described charges of rape relating to girls under 16 who "threw themselves" at celebrities as "a technical thing".
He also claimed on BBC Radio 5 live on Saturday that Scotland Yard's investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile and other television stars from the 1970s and 1980s was developing into a "witch hunt".
However, Pete Saunders, chief executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood said: "I'd like to meet with Eddie, and to have him explain to me, and maybe explain to some rape victims, what he means by 'raped raped', because my understanding is there is rape, or there is not rape, and rape is always a crime."
Jim Gamble, the former chief executive of Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) added: "At the end of the day, a child is a child, and the law is configured to protect a child, and there's an assumption made that adults, you know, will respect that, because they will want to protect children themselves."
Mr Shah claimed to have felt suicidal case during his case.
He also said he is currently helping another high-profile celebrity who has been charged by the Operation Yewtree, which arose from the Savile revelations, into abuse on minors.
He told the radio programme: "Rape was a technical thing - below a certain age. But these girls were going out with pop groups and becoming groupies and throwing themselves at them."
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