The former leader of South Australia’s Liberal Party has broken his silence following the release of shocking footage that appeared to show him snorting a white powdery substance at his home in June.
The footage, revealed by The Advertiser on Monday evening, appears to show David Speirs in his kitchen early in the morning snorting a substance from a plate and standing next to a white powder arranged in lines.
Mr Speirs has previously denied the authenticity of the video and there is no allegation that he committed any crime.
In a statement on Wednesday, Speirs said she felt “exceptionally vulnerable and at risk.”
“The last few days have been exceptionally distressing for me and my loved ones,” he said.
‘This follows a long period in the public eye, including four years as a minister and two as leader of the opposition.
‘I left the party leadership because I had run out of energy and the feeling of exhaustion has worsened in recent days.
‘As a result, my emotional health and wellbeing have been significantly affected, leaving me feeling exceptionally vulnerable and at risk.
An image of David Speirs and the alleged white powder in his home that he claims is a ‘deepfake’
‘I have always put South Australians first, but now I must take time to focus on my own health and wellbeing like anyone else should.
‘I have consulted with medical professionals over the past 24 hours and have been advised that I should take time off work to focus on my health.
‘I intend to follow that advice and am currently on medical leave but will consult with medical professionals regularly.
‘I am deeply grateful for the tremendous support I have received from my parliamentary colleagues, Liberal Party members and my community.
“I do not plan to make any further comments on this matter and have retained legal counsel to assist me in addressing this difficult issue.”
Mr Speirs previously told The Advertiser the video was a “deepfake”, or artificially altered footage, and that he was the victim of an “elaborate hoax”.
But a report given to The Advertiser by digital forensics analyst Dr Matthew Sorell concluded the video was authentic.
“Based on my detailed technical review, the photographs and video appear to be authentic, internally consistent, and without evidence of manipulation of content, metadata, or file structure,” he said.
The footage shows Mr Speirs inhaling the unidentified substance at 4.12am on June 30.
Mr Speirs, who represents Adelaide’s black southern electorate, was leader of the Liberal Party at the time and appeared at a public event at 11am that same day.
He resigned in early August and was replaced by Vincent Tarzia.
When approached by Advertiser journalists for comment on the video, Speirs said: “I would never have done that.”
“I would never have done that,” he said.
‘Never, never, never.
‘I’m quite horrified by that.
“I’m very concerned about that. I’m so sorry.”
Mr Tarzia said he had spoken to Mr Speirs and was told the images were a fake.
Mr Tarzia said he had urged Mr Speirs to report the video to the police.
NewsWire understands that South African police have not received a report regarding the video.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, responding to the video on Tuesday, said it was “all a bit shocking.”
“The images we see on the front page of The Advertiser this morning are clearly quite worrying, but they are a matter for Vincent Tarzia and the SA division of the Liberal Party alone,” he said.
‘Dysfunction, division, chaos, that’s the business of Vincent Tarzia and the Liberal Party.’
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