Jimmy Tarbuck says Presidents Club critics should look at the behaviour of some hen parties. Photo / Getty
Jimmy Tarbuck says Presidents Club critics should look at the behaviour of some hen parties. Photo / Getty
Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck has stepped into the shamed Presidents Club row by criticising the behaviour of hen parties.
The 77-year-old, who attended the controversial event, said he "never saw anything untoward" when he led a toast at the men-only charity evening, where hostesses were allegedly gropedand sexually harassed.
"Tell them to go to London airport and see hen parties going on if they want to see bad behaviour," he told Sky News.
"It has to be both ways, it can't be all men that they are including. I hear on good report hen parties might be banned on some airlines, they should look into that."
"I can't understand how sick children should suffer from it," he continued.
"I did the loyal toast, which was a pleasure, and thanked them for supporting the children's home and that was it and then I came home, reports the Daily Telegraph.
"Were there a lot of pretty girls there? Of course there were, there were over 100 of them, all looking nice, but I never saw, I never heard any bad language or insinuations to them and I left after I had done my bit."
The Presidents Club has disbanded and a number of guests have faced a backlash for attending.
Senior Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn has been effectively sacked from his frontbench role as shadow business and international trade spokesman after it emerged that he was there.
Children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi has also faced strong criticism for attending.
Last year the mother of one of the young hostesses called the police over the behaviour of some of the guests.
"She was concerned there would be legal consequences if she even told me about it. I called the police and they came over," she told the BBC.
Presidents Club charity dinner at The Dorchester, in Mayfair. Photo / Getty
"I felt quite protective of my daughter who was not keen not to take it any further.
"Unfortunately, the police said nothing they could do because if a bunch of middle aged men want to employ women in whatever capacity they can."
Her daughter told the BBC that she believed there were prostitutes and some people were taking them back to their rooms.
"There were a lot of nanny jobs been offered as well as other things," she added.
"It almost felt we were like escorts and that was not our role and we did not get told that was our role.
"Some tables would complain about not having enough girls."
MPs are urging Scotland Yard to launch a new inquiry into whether sex offences, including pimping, were committed at last week's gala, particularly at an after-party.
A Met spokesman confirmed it had received an allegation of sexual assault on a female at a hotel on Park Lane on 21 January last year.
"Police contacted the alleged victim who advised that she did not wish to proceed with the allegation. The investigation was discontinued," it added.
A number of charities, including Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, which have benefited from the £20 million (NZD $38 million) raised by the organisation over more than 30 years, said they would refund previous donations.
Reporter Madison Marriage, who went undercover as part of the paper's investigation, said she was groped several times and other hostesses had suffered similar treatment.
The Charity Commission said it was looking into the allegations "as a matter of urgency".
The Dorchester Hotel, where the dinner was held, said it was not aware of any claims following the event and an investigation had been launched.
A spokesman for the Artista agency, which recruited the hostesses, said it was not aware of any claims of sexual harassment but that any complaints would be dealt with promptly and fairly.
