Sydney radio DJ and former Australian Idol judge  Kyle Sandilands has taken leave after an on-air stunt last week resulted in a 14-year-old girl publicly admitting she had been raped. The stunt was part of a competition whereby participants were subjected to a lie detector test in order to win tickets to a concert.

Sandilands was slammed for the way he handled the situation when he replied to the girl’s confession, “Right. And is that the only experience you’ve had?” Jackie O, co-presenter of the program, offered counselling after the incident, and a public apology was later issued.

The mother of the daughter has also been criticised after she admitted to knowing about the rape before bringing her daughter to take part in the competition.

Sandilands has taken leave from the radio program, stating that he is unable to perform his duties, and the show has since gone into recess. The program and radio station are under review in the wake of the incident.

Writer Tristan Boyd, Editor Ramesh Manocha.