Gyles Brandreth is causing anger by defending the Dutch child molester’s participation in the Olympics, saying he has “served his sentence” and is entitled to “a fresh start.”

Gyles Brandreth caused outrage when he defended the participation of Dutch child molester Steven van de Velde in the Olympic Games, claiming that he had a right to “a fresh start”.

Viewers now demanded that the This Morning presenter be removed from the show following his comments about the 29-year-old athlete.

Despite his rape conviction, Velde was selected to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball, prompting sports fans and athletes around the world to speak out against his participation in the Games.

While discussing Velde’s “lenient sentence” with a shocked Dermot O’Leary, Rochelle Humes and Camilla Tominey on the show, Brandreth sparked a fierce reaction on social media when he suggested that the Olympic athlete could be rehabilitated.

He said: “Let’s put that aside for a moment. We don’t know why the sentence was so lenient.”

“The court reduced the prison sentence to 13 months. So the point of a trial is for serious people like the judges to assess the case and come to a conclusion.”

He added: “So the assumption is that that was the right thing to do, he served his sentence, and when people serve their sentence, do we give them a fresh start?”

“Let’s say: ‘You’re getting out now, this is your chance, you’ve served your sentence, now you can rebuild your life, we want you to rebuild your life.'”

Camilla intervened and admitted that she had “drawn the line” at violent crime, to which Brandreth asked: “So everything is forbidden to you forever, right?”

Several fans flooded X, formerly Twitter, with comments expressing their shock and horror at Brandreth’s statement.

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One said: “Gyles Brandeth is standing up for the rapist who is competing in the Olympics. He says he should be allowed to be rehabilitated. No, Gyles, you are completely wrong. Another Tory who is completely out of touch with the mood in Britain.”

Another wrote: “Gyles should be deposed and fired at this point.”

A third added: “Sex offenders are on the register for a reason as they are likely to re-offend. Gyles, please do your research.”

“Gyles!! No no no!! A child molester??!!! He should NOT be there!!,” said another.

A fifth then pleaded: “Get Giles off the TV, he’s an old, naive idiot who just sympathised with a child molester.”

Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old British girl in August 2014 when he was 19 years old.

The Dutchman had travelled from Amsterdam to Great Britain and raped the girl in a house in Milton Keynes.

Although a judge told him that his conviction meant the end of his career, van de Velde resumed his volleyball career after serving only 12 months of his four-year sentence.

Yesterday, the 1.98 meter tall athlete was booed by some spectators in the Champs de Mars park under the Eiffel Tower when the Netherlands suffered a 2-1 defeat to Italy in his first Olympic match.

The sex offender’s teammate Matthew Immers told the press after the game that he was “surprised” by the reaction to van de Velde, but also said that his current behaviour was a “really good example”.

The athlete, who wore the number “one” in the Dutch colors blue and orange, did not seem to react to the negative reaction.

After the match, 23-year-old Immers was cross-examined by the press, while van de Velde was nowhere to be seen – the convicted sex offender was banned from speaking to the media.

When asked if van de Velde had ever expressed remorse to him for the rape, Immers replied: “No, he doesn’t, he doesn’t explain it.”

He continued: “I’ve known the guy for three, four years and we’ve played every tournament and right now they’re making a really big discussion about it (the child rape conviction).”

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When asked whether a convicted child rapist was a good role model for young people who wanted to become athletes, he replied: “I don’t know.”

“I think Steven is a really good example the way he is now.

“(Van de Velde’s conviction) is in the past. He has received his punishment.”

The convicted rapist refused to give interviews after the game and was led away by three bodyguards.

A Paris2024 official said: “Van de Velde was escorted away with three bodyguards. Normally everyone comes through the mixed zone.”

“But he has failed to prevent all media violence.”

On Saturday, it was reported that a senior Dutch Olympic official insisted in an email: “Steven is NOT a pedophile (sic); you really don’t think the Dutch NOC would send someone to Paris who IS a real risk? No, he is not a risk.”

A petition calling on Olympic chiefs to exclude van de Velde from the Games has already received more than 108,000 signatures and the British Olympic Association has expressed its anger at his participation.

The forum, launched by Lauren Muir, states: “Van de Velde’s dismal record must not be swept under the carpet, nor should it be seen as a symbol of achievement at such a prestigious event as the Olympic Games.”

“This is about more than just one person; it’s about the global image of the Olympic Games and the kind of society we want to live in.”

The Dutch Olympic Committee said in a statement last week that it was “implementing concrete measures to ensure a safe sports environment for all participants.”

“These measures include, at van de Velde’s request, alternative accommodation for van de Velde and no media contact during his stay in Paris,” a spokesman said.

He claimed the measures were in line with “standard practice” and had been developed following a “thorough risk assessment taking into account all affected groups”.