"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Mine starts now."
Al Porter has released a statement for the first time in nearly three years, explaining his absence from public life.
The comedian resigned from his role as a radio presenter on Today FM in
2017 following an allegation of groping by a patient in St Patrick's Hospital in Dublin, which he denied.
"About five years ago I kind of disappeared," Porter wrote in a statement published to
his website.
"If you remember me and know about how my life changed beyond all recognition, you’ll have heard and read about it, but this will be the first time you’re hearing from me."
Porter described learning of the allegation via a newspaper article, without learning the identity of the accuser for a year, and having the charge withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2019.
https://twitter.com/TheAlPorter/status/1547218916119912449?s=20&t=8V08EUD0bHRizPAWUg4_iA
"In that time, I've had death threats, ‘funny’ mocked up headlines saying I've committed suicide, that kind of thing…. this is actually something my family and I have had to get used to," Porter said.
"When I was 21, I did a charity radio show at St Patrick’s Hospital in a glass-walled studio in the foyer. In 2017, a complaint was made to the hospital by a former service user.
"Following investigation, it was concluded that when we posed for a requested photograph outside as I was leaving, I kissed this person on the cheek, while putting my hand on his chest.
"That was uninvited and made him feel uncomfortable. I accept this and for that I was and still am genuinely sorry."
Porter admitted to being "immature" at that point in his life, saying: "not to put too fine a point on it, I was an idiot."
"I let my family and friends down. I let my partner down, who has been with me since before and through all this.
"I let my community down, Tallaght, the comedy scene and the LGBTQ community. I let down the people I worked with.
"And I let down the people who came to my shows and have always supported me."
Porter said that he wished to come back to the stage, revealing he had received several offers for shows but that "I just wasn't ready."
"I expected the time away to be shorter, and the lockdown years played their part too.
"Now, I’d like to make people laugh again. Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Mine starts now."
You can read Porter's statement in full
here.
