Australian TV Star Maggie Kirkpatrick faces child sex charges
Maggie KirkPatrick, an Australian TV star in the 1980s, faces charges related to child sex offences and has been ordered by the Victorian Police to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates court on August 19. It has been reported that Ms. Kirkpatrick, who appeared in popular shows "Prisoner", "Hey Dad", "Home and Away" and "Blue Heelers", was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency with a minor.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, News Corp. believes that the incident might involve a 13 year old girl and could have taken place back in the 1980s. However, police reported that the allegations have no established links with her industry.
Kirkpatrick has denied all allegations, reported News Corp., and has said that she would go to court to squash the “ridiculous” allegations. Her co-star Betty Bobbitt also told the ABC that she couldn’t believe the news, saying, "I have absolutely no doubt she is innocent".
Kirkpatrick took her first professional job in a Shakespearian production when she was 19. She rose to prominence with her role in the show "Prison", in which she played a lesbian prison officer Joan Ferguson, nicknamed The Freak . She has also starred in Australian TV soaps "All Saints", "Pizza", "Water Rats" and "G.P". More recently, she bagged a role as Madame Morrible in the Australian production of the musical, "Wicked".
The news comes after the Royal Commission, which has been investigating child abuse cases throughout the country, declared that it would extend the inquiry to the Australian entertainment industry. Chief executive Philip Reed has asked people to come forward if they know of any child abuse cases or have been victimised, reported the ABC . Robert Hughes, another co-star of Kirkpatrick, was jailed for 10 years and nine months last year after being found guilty of child sexual abuses.
Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.