Charles Waterstreet defends asking paralegal to pick up his Viagra pills from the chemist

CONTROVERSIAL barrister Charles Waterstreet has defended his decision to make a former paralegal collect his Viagra pills from the pharmacy saying it was part of her role as a personal assistant and that “plenty of men my age use them.”

Lawyer Charles Waterstreet is the inspiration behind the ABC TV series Rake

CONTROVERSIAL barrister Charles Waterstreet has defended his decision to make a former paralegal collect his Viagra pills from the pharmacy saying it was part of her role as a personal assistant and that “plenty of men my age use them.”

Barrister, Charles Waterstreet said it was not inappropriate for the paralegal to pick up Viagra for him. Picture: David Swift.

Waterstreet, who inspired the hit TV series Rake about a fictitious lecherous lawyer, says he is “hurt” and “disappointed” a second former worker Genevieve Wilks has accused him of continually sexualising inappropriate comments when she worked for him between September 2014 and June 2015.

In a series of emails allegedly exchanged between them, the 26-year-old says Waterstreet showed her and other colleagues sketches of his flaccid penis. She also claims he watched pornography on Redtube in the office in front of young female employees, made her pick up his Viagra and arrange lingerie vouchers and payments to sex workers or women he met on a dating website.

Tina Huang has not lodged a complaint with the Bar Association or police over Waterstreet’s behaviour.

Neither she, law student Tina Huang, who maintains the maverick law professional showed her a masturbation video and images of naked women during her job interview, have complained to the police or Bar Association.

“I won’t tell you what my age is, that’s personal, but sometimes I’d pick up my mediation and sometimes Genevieve would,” Mr Waterstreet told Tthe Daily Telegraph.

One email he sent to me and two of the other assistants [was]a photo of a penis in a mankini. He just wants to shock people. That is what he would do.

“Genevieve was not just a paralegal, she was also a personal assistant, it was all part of her job description. As for claims I showed her my flaccid penis, well, that’s not mine.”

He said he and Ms Wilks, originally from Melbourne, had become “close friends”.

“I’m very disappointed and hurt that Genevieve has chosen to interpret the chain of emails differently to way they were meant at the time — history tends to rewrite things.”

“I deny that I routinely sexualised situations, and other colleagues in the office will deny these allegations.”

Ms Wilks yesterday told how she would routinely go weeks, sometimes months, without being paid her full wages.

Charles Waterstreet outside the Downing Centre. He denies ‘routinely sexualising situations’.

She insists the tone of her time working for the character was set from the first day when he presented her a signed autograph of a book featuring of naked pictures of him.

“It became very clear from the first day that that meant being okay with him sexualising you, and every other woman, at all times, and him talking about those things any time he would see fit … sending inappropriate images to you, or getting you to send them to other people,” she said.

“One email he sent to me and two of the other assistants [was]a photo of a penis in a mankini. He just wants to shock people. That is what he would do.”

Ms Wilks said she was left “traumatised” after working for Waterstreet and was considering her next move.

“I strongly encourage other women to come forward to tell their own story; not only to be part of this movement calling out misogyny and institutionalised sexual harassment, but as a means of regaining agency,” she said.

“Charles Waterstreet isn’t just a story about one person acting inappropriately. It’s also a story about how many people around him ... normalised and tolerated this behaviour because he was charming, old school, entertaining or just plain intimidating.”