This Morning star Gyles Brandreth sparks fury over Steven van de Velde comments: "Please educate yourself"

Steven van de Velde, 29, was chosen to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball despite his rape conviction, prompting outcry from sports fans and competitors.

Ten years ago, van de Velde was convicted of raping a girl in Milton Keynes. The then-19-year-old had met the girl on Facebook and traveled to the UK. The assault came to light when the victim sought the morning-after pill at a family planning clinic.

In 2016, he was sentenced to four years at Aylesbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of rape. He served a year in a Dutch jail before his release, a sentence that This Morning stars Dermot O'Leary, Rochelle Humes, and Camilla Tominey found shockingly lenient.

But Brandreth angered many viewers when he said: “Put that aside for a moment, we don't know why the sentence was so lenient. It was reduced to 13 months by a court. So the whole point of a trial system is that serious people like the judges assess this and come to a conclusion.

“So it's assumed that was right, he served his sentence and when people have served their sentence, do we give them a fresh start? Do we say, 'you're now coming out, this is your chance, you've served your sentence, you now get to rebuild your life, we would like you to rebuild your life.'”

When Tominey stated she “drew the line” at violent crimes, Brandreth then asked: “So you are banned forever from everything, are you?”

Many viewers took to X to criticise Brandreth for his comments. One user posted: “Might as well bring back Oscar Pistorius for the Paralympics,” referencing the 2013 murder of Reeva Steenkamp by the former sprinter, who served nearly nine years of his 13-year and five-month sentence before being released on parole.

Another added: “Sexual predators are on a register for a reason because it's likely that they will re-offend. Gyles please educate yourself.”