Radio host John Laws has humilated a sexual assault survivor on his radio show.

John Laws host of 2SM’s morning show in Sydney humiliated a survivor of sexual abuse on radio this morning.

The caller, who called himself ‘Brian’ called the show to discuss the sexual abuse he claimed to have suffered as an 11 and 14 years-old.

Laws response was to tell him to “go to the pub and have a lemonade.”

As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, Brian rang to share his experience of being abused at the age of 11, after his family moved to a new town. He claimed the same man abused him after he moved out of home to work on a cattle farm in Gympie, three years later.

Laws conducted the rest of the interview with a hostile and unforgiving tone, dismissing Brian’s story by stating “Brian, we’re talking about a very long time ago.”

After being questioned about why he never told his parents of the abuse, Brian responded, “There was no such thing as family love.”

He said he did report events to police in the 1960s and 1970s, but was told simply to “go away and forget about it.” Brian lives alone, and has not had a relationship since the attack because the abuse “just turned [him] off it altogether.”

“Don’t be down all the time,” Laws responded.  “Don’t be a wet blanket all the time, try to have a laugh, go to the pub, have one beer; it’s not going to hurt you.”

Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of Adults Surviving Child Abuse, believes that comments such as Laws’ can be extremely hurtful. She told the Sydney Morning Herald, “he perpetuates myths at the time when the Royal Commission [into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse]… is trying to change societal attitudes and views and educate among other things, that’s very counterproductive.”

The interview has sparked public anger and has been widely condemned by the public and experts.

In the wake the backlash surrounding Laws’ interview with Brian, he has made an apology, of sorts, telling listeners:

“We had a few calls about Brian, I’m sure any of you who were listening remember him, who phoned in to tell us about being abused several years ago and his general dissatisfaction with life.

Brian felt that he really didn’t like anybody.

I know a lot of being were concerned about his well being. We certainly were and we did get in touch with him after the program and offering to connect him to counselling services.

The handmaiden’s gave him the name for some support services that can help him.

I just hope he is ok. His story did affect us here and if anyone else is struggling you should get in touch with Lifeline 13 11 14.

We took care of him as best we could. It is a tough thing to handle – he is no youth he is 80 year old.

It was very very sad. Anyway hopefully Brian is alright the hand maidens have called him and checked him out this morning.”

This is not the first time that Laws has belittled the experience of sex abuse survivors, asking a woman who had been sexually abused as a child whether it had been her fault.