Steve Price: John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan assault claims could happen to anyone
In the wild age of social media it’s very easy to make accusations, but the time it takes to get to court can ruin a lot of people’s lives.
Opinion
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“It could happen to you Pricey” … and with those word’s legendary Australian actor John Jarratt, of Wolf Creek fame, ended our interview back in September 2019.
Jarratt had been accused of the historical rape of a housemate in a share house in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs back in the 70s.
In September 2019, I sat down and conducted a 20-minute studio interview with John for radio. That was almost two years after his mobile phone rang while out eating lunch with his daughter.
Jarratt went outside to take the call that would forever change the life of one of Australia’s busiest and most enduring show business personalities.
From Playschool on the ABC to the hit film Picnic at Hanging Rock and the international blockbuster Wolf Creek, he was one of our best-known faces at home and internationally.
His character in Wolf Creek — Mick Taylor — was full of danger and menace and downright terror playing a fictional character based loosely on the backpacker killer Ivan Milat.
There was a sequel Wolf Creek II and a third was in the works after the original netted $35 million at the box office from a production budget of $1.4 million.
Jarratt was flying, even appearing in a cameo role back in 2012 on the Hollywood film Django Unchained directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Wolf Creek was even turned into a six-part TV series back in 2015 with Jarrett again starring as Mick Taylor.
Two years later that all changed.
As Australia gets set this weekend to listen to actor Craig McLachlan’s version of the story of what happened to him after being accused of indecent and common law assault it’s worth revisiting the Jarratt case.
Jarratt’s two-year battle to clear his name came at the height of the #metoo movement and the accusations levelled at Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, now serving time in prison.
Australia was awash with suggestions a raft of big name personalities could be our version of the Weinstein affair and gossip rumour and innuendo were flying.
The big difference between the Jarratt case and others was the historical nature of the claims by the accuser — it happened in the 70s — and the he-said-she-said nature of the sexual encounter.
As Jarratt told me back in 2019, if you were not a virgin and you had in your life had consensual sex, then what happened to him could happen to anyone.
He explained that the accusations couldn’t have been more “ludicrous”, and he felt when told what he was being investigated for, like he had been “suffocated and smothered,” and that it was worse than being punched in the guts.
He said he was never in any doubt that he was going to be cleared but had to endure 20 months of being called a rapist. A 20-month torture that when it went to trial lasted just four and a half days in court.
Headlines at the time were not sympathetic to John while his accuser’s identity — as should be and is under the law — was suppressed.
He has no problem at all with that aspect of his ordeal, but after going through what he did believes the identity of the accused should also be kept suppressed until the court case begins.
One headline at the time was ‘Horror star accused of rape’, while Jarratt points out he had consensual sex with a housemate while his wife slept in another room.
He told me, “I cheated on my wife. I was 23 years young and stupid, but it was consensual.”
The jury in John’s case took just 15 minutes to clear him and it cost the actor, he estimates, around half a million dollars in legal fees.
The lost income from lack of acting work was something he wouldn’t put a figure on, but it would be in the millions.
At no stage during my interview with Jarratt did he attempt to blame his accuser or seek any sympathy for himself. He was simply telling his story — and he’s written a book about the events — to help the public better understand how easily this can happen.
Craig McLachlan hasn’t fared as well as Jarratt.
He was faced with four accusers, not one, and charged with seven counts of indecent assault and six counts of common law assault. Four women on the set of the stage show Rocky Horror made the accusations back in 2018.
He lost his starring role in the Dr Blake Mysteries, one of the most successful franchises on television which was about to switch from the ABC to the Seven Network. He hasn’t played that role since the accusations landed.
Craig was acquitted of all charges in December last year after a three-day hearing, but hasn’t worked since the initial complaints were laid.
A series of promotional snippets from Sunday night’s Spotlight to air on Seven includes a video diary of his ordeal showing Craig is clearly heavily impacted by what’s happened to him.
He admits having suicidal thoughts, believing his family would have been better off without him. Craig tried to take his own life and eventually checked into a mental health facility.
His partner Vanessa Scammell says she hasn’t slept for three years.
Sunday night we will see the full extent of the latest in a series of high-profile cases involving public figures and the impact it has had on their careers, families and reputations.
We would never ever suggest that anyone — female or male — not have the right to be heard and to have their claims of sexual abuse and assault argued before the courts.
Victims must feel comfortable coming forward with their story.
There is though a flip side to such allegations that should also be allowed to be debated because, as we have seen, careers can and have been destroyed.
We all stand by guilty people being outed, but in the wild west age of social media it’s very easy to make accusations and the length of time it takes to get those accusations to court ruin a lot of people’s lives.
I understand the anger of Craig McLachlan and the despair John Jarratt endured for two long years and his words ring true — it could happen to any of us.
DISLIKES
AFL players inability to go out and enjoy a normal life without being preyed upon by strangers in nightclubs.
Hotel quarantine this time in Adelaide still not able to contain Covid.
Selfish diners in Melbourne and Sydney unwilling to simply use the QR code system before dining.
The bloody conflict in the Middle East erupting again taking innocent lives.
Uncertainty over Australia’s International borders opening destroying our tourism industry.
LIKES
The spirit with which Bert and Patti Newton have dealt with the shock decision to have Bert’s leg amputated.
Discipline shown by Australian cricketers transiting through the Maldives on the way back home – no narky text messages and no more from Michael Slater.
The State Government refusing the balmy idea to open a clutch of safe injecting rooms – now shut Richmond.
A State Funeral of class and style sending off the great Frank Costa in Geelong and the Cats including Michael Thompson.
Ash Barty and Sam Kerr – enough said.
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Originally published as Steve Price: John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan assault claims could happen to anyone
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