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Remember watching Young Talent Time with your family? These allegations are disturbing.

The original cast of Young Talent Time. Johnny Young is not the alleged perpetrator.

 

 

 

 

Australian singer Debra Byrne appears to have claimed she was abused as a girl by more than one crew member on popular variety show Young Talent Time.

A message posted on Channel 0-10 EX (ATV)’s Facebook page on August 1 by what appears to be the singer’s account – which has since been removed – alleges she was ‘digitally raped’ by a crew member, and alludes to another incident in a television studio.

The star, 57, is now looking for witnesses to back up her claims, 2DAY FM Breakfast reported yesterday.

The Facebook post said of one of the incidents:

“(T)he YTT team took part in the filming of Caravan Holiday…. after a days filming we the YTT and crew were swimming in a pool. I don’t recall where the pool was but while I was in the pool [alleged perpetrator] swam up to me and digitally raped me. I was a very disturbed girl and was abused I believe because I was considered fair game.”

In 2006, Byrne alleged in Not Quite Ripe that as a child she became embroiled in a sexual relationship with a man who worked on the series.

The post then appeared to allude to another potential incident with a separate individual, asking if anyone can remember ‘being in one of the smaller studios’ at a television station during the filming of a commercial for chocolates — and requesting that anyone comfortable speaking with her about ‘what took place in the studio’ contact her. 

The post was signed off, ‘Blessings, Debra Byrne”.

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the post was deleted after the daughter of former Young Talent Time Host Johnny Young urged Ms Byrne to remove the post from social media and report the alleged incident to authorities.

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“He would like her to go to the police, if she feels so strongly about it, rather than put it on Facebook,” Anna Young said, speaking on behalf of her father.

“He feels if any woman has been wronged in any way — he’s very protective — go to the police, don’t put it on Facebook,” she reportedly said.

“We wish her all the best, if she does feel there is something that happened to her I agree with my dad, she really needs to go to the police.”

Johnny Young is not the person to whom Ms Byrne referred in the post.

The shocking claims are not the first Byrne has made relating to the show: In 2006, Byrne alleged in her  autobiography Not Quite Ripe that as a child she became embroiled in a sexual relationship with a man who worked on the series.

Byrne wrote in the book that the man involved — who was 10 years her senior — was charged with statutory rape, but that details of the case were suppressed to protect her privacy, the Herald Sun reports.

Ms Byrne was one of the original cast members on the television series, from ages 12 to 16, and later moved onto a singing career. Bryne was a cast member from 1971 to 1975. 

The show, which ran from 1971 to 1989, also fostered the career of Dannii Minogue.

Mamamia has contacted Ms Byrne for comment.