The Jeremy Kyle Show was branded a ‘human form of bear baiting’ by a judge sentencing a man who headbutted his love rival during filming – in one of a number of controversial incidents that have dogged the show since its launch.
Security guard David Staniforth shocked the studio audience when he attacked bus driver Larry Mahoney, leaving him with blood pouring from his nose.
He had been invited on the show to describe how Mr Mahoney had an affair after moving into their home as a lodger.
He claimed he had been riled by Mr Kyle. The programme was aired with the attack edited out, but Mr Mahoney complained to police and Staniforth was arrested. He admitted assault and was fined £300.
Security guard David Staniforth shocked the studio audience when he attacked bus driver Larry Mahoney, leaving him with blood pouring from his nose
He had been invited on the show to describe how Mr Mahoney had an affair after moving into their home as a lodger. The programme was aired with the attack edited out, but Mr Mahoney complained to police and Staniforth was arrested
An ITV spokesman said the programme’s security guards had ‘reacted as swiftly as possible to defuse the situation’.
But district judge Alan Berg told Manchester Magistrates’ Court: ‘I have had the misfortune of viewing The Jeremy Kyle Show and it seems to me that its whole purpose is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people who are in some kind of turmoil.’
Another show guest killed himself ten months after going on TV to discuss problems in his relationship. Roger Irons, 21, went on the show alongside his partner Matthew Millington in October 2007, the year after their civil partnership ceremony.
Mr Millington later claimed the daytime show had helped strengthen their relationship, but his husband became increasingly depressed by taunts about his homosexuality.
The nursing care home assistant hanged himself after telling his family he ‘couldn’t take any more’ abuse.
His sister Lisa Lyons told an inquest: ‘Roger was happy and easy-going but he had his problems. People being homophobic hurt him a lot. It really got to him and eventually it boiled over.’
Mr Iron’s body was found on August 2, 2008, after he ran out of a family member’s birthday party.
A spokesman for The Jeremy Kyle Show said at the time: ‘His death was not linked to the show and came well after his appearance.’ The episode he featured in was repeated four days after he died.
Another show guest killed himself ten months after going on TV to discuss problems in his relationship. Roger Irons, 21, (pictured) went on the show alongside his partner Matthew Millington in October 2007, the year after their civil partnership ceremony
It is not the only controversy to hit the daytime TV show.
Guest Jason McPartland appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show and was allegedly ‘goaded’ by production staff into punching his niece’s ex-partner in front of a baying audience in 2013.
Jason McPartland, 41, strode on stage and hit Darren Price in the face before telling him: ‘Shut up before you get another slap.’
The episode, which was never broadcast, was on the theme, ‘You can’t stop me seeing our children just because you hate my new girlfriend’.
Details of the assault were heard in court. Magistrates were told McPartland had been deliberately wound up by production staff before being brought on the stage.
The court was also told that producers tried to dissuade Mr Price from reporting the attack to police.
McPartland, of Birmingham, admitted assault and was given a six-month community order with supervision.
He had been a supporting guest at the filming at Granada Studios in Manchester for his niece, Helen McPartland. She was there to discuss relationship problems with Mr Price.
When her uncle was brought on stage he immediately attacked Mr Price before being grabbed by security guards.
Gina Clayton, who defended him in court, said he had been ‘egged on’ by staff and told that Mr Price had been calling him names.
The judge admitted McPartland had been provoked by the production team but said it was ‘never acceptable’ to punch another person.
Chris Lyons was just 17 when he appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show with his mother, Andi.
She was running a hotel with her now ex-husband while her unemployed son was abusing drugs and solvents.
The night before filming, the pair were contacted individually by a researcher who ‘had the brief of winding them up’.
Mr Lyons said on the morning of the show, staff separated him and his mother and continued to provoke him.
He recalled: ‘They kept coming in and saying: “Your mum said this about you. Your mum said you were a dirty crackhead.” Some of the stuff they told me, I thought: “My mum doesn’t even talk like that, my mum would never say that.”’
During the show Miss Lyons claimed that Mr Kyle pointed the finger of blame at her, at which point her son interjected and called the accusation ‘unfair’.
He said: ‘The audience clapped, they agreed,’ But this part of the show was never aired.
Mr Lyons claims the show ‘ruined his life’, saying: ‘I wasn’t Chris Lyons any more. I was just that guy off the Jeremy Kyle Show.’
He says he was never offered any rehab and the show only arranged for him to get half a day of unpaid work experience at a kennels.
Rebecca Langley appeared on the show with her boyfriend Jamie Juste in 2009 to ‘discuss their differences’ following a nine-year relationship.
At the time he believed she had been cheating on him, and ‘regularly flew into aggressive rages and left her covered in bruises’.
She claims the production staff tried to ‘get her angry’ and ‘wind her up’ before she went on stage to take part in a lie detector test.
After her test came back positive – she had lied about kissing another man early on in their relationship – they were both sent home after just ‘five minutes’ with a counsellor, who told them: ‘Good luck.’
Once home the violence escalated and she was hit repeatedly. The couple contacted the show and asked for therapy, but were allegedly given only a one-hour session.
Weeks later, when the episode aired, Juste ‘flew into a rage’, biting her and even kicking her in the eye. She managed to escape when he went to the toilet.
Miss Langley was hospitalised with severe head and face injuries, and decided to press charges.
Juste was jailed for two years, with the judge slamming the show for ‘feeding his insecurities’.
Judge Sean Enright said: ‘There is plainly an element of cruelty and exploitation in what takes place.’