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ACA editorial on Ben McCormack: “How could he do that?”

Tracy Grimshaw says viewers owed an explanation following the end of a profile legal case.

A Current Affair has extended an invitation to its former reporter Ben McCormack to explain his actions in an interview, but has been refused.

Last night Tracy Grimshaw told viewers they were owed an explanation by the network, having remained silent to allow natural justice to follow its course.

Yesterday McCormack was given a 3 year good behaviour bond and fined $1000 after a judge decreed hsi crime was at the ‘lower end’ of offending.

“For me personally, I wished it was some terrible mistake,” Grimshaw told viewers.

“That maybe he’d been researching a story and his actions had been misinterpreted.

“But when the detail of his online discussions became clear, when he called himself a ‘proud pedo’ who was attracted to boys aged 7 to 13-years-old, I realised it was no mistake by the police.

“How could he do that? It was horrifying,” she said.

McCormack’s actions undermined ACA‘s work to pin Robert Hughes, including naming him as a perpetrator before formal charges were laid.

McCormack resigned from Nine after being suspended.

4 Responses

  1. Why not just read the court transcripts, or the several articles on the court case that have been written? McCormack is sexually attracted to children has has sort treatment for it. He happened to say so in graphic terms online. So police used that to arrest him and went through his life with a fine tooth comb. They found no evidence he had ever actually assaulted a child and they found no evidence of him possessing child pornography. He pled guilty and got a suspended 3 year sentence, which he will serve if he commits any further offence. He is now a registered sex offender who will never be able to work anywhere near children. Hard to see what else more can be accomplished.

    1. Exactly. As the judge said previously, if the two had said what was said face-to-face there would have been no crime. The mere fact that they used a “carriage service” to have a conversation, no images exchanged and indeed no images found, so no possession, he was charged with committing a crime.
      @BellJay – No “fire” was found. No one came forward. There’s a distinction between talking about something and having “intentions” to do something. “Judge Paul Conlon, 66, has been praised for locking up a vile paedophile; The Sydney-based judge, nicknamed Judge Dread, sentenced Tim Stewart; Stewart was sentenced to a total of 955 years for filming his rape of a teen girl; Conlon has a long career as a judge and prosecutor putting away criminals.” (Daily Mail)

  2. They didn’t worry about remaining silent and letting justice take its course with the likes of Hughes or Rolf Harris or any other public figure. They do foot in the door, car or anywhere possible and harass, harass, harass them before they have their day in court. They didn’t do that with this fella.

  3. I can’t believe he got off so lightly. Typically bleeding heart judge report. Where there is smoke there is fire. Obviously he has sexual intentions if he would pick an age group. One has to wonder if there is more fire in his smoke. If so, I hope their is courage for anyone to come forward.

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