Julia Hartley-Brewer has faced a wave of backlash for seemingly victim-shaming Narinder Kaur on the internet. The controversial media figure sparked uproar after commenting on Laurence Fox's recent charge by the Metropolitan Police following an upskirting image of Kaur he posted on his social media.

The ex-actor is set to appear in court next month over the incident that concluded an 11-month police probe. In response to the charges against Fox, Talk TV host Julia Hartley-Brewer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to air her thoughts, drawing criticism from other users. With a hefty 526.2k following, she seemingly equated the severity of her own experience of theft with the case.

Julia posted: “In other news, my handbag was stolen last June. I gave police CCTV of the theft. They ID'd the suspect. 10 months later, still no charges,” while citing a news piece. An enraged respondent challenged her by saying, "Are you really trying to compare the two offences? Shameful," To which Hartley-Brewer shot back at the user, "I'm comparing the policing of different crimes."

Another critic admonished her approach, stating: "That's pretty grim, Julia. Your handbag theft is bad but you cannot and should not trivialise what Fox has done. He's been charged with sexual offences. Put yourself in Narinder's shoes and show some compassion.", reports the Mirror. "So you belittle sexual offences as equating to a stolen handbag - what a great look," seethed a critic online. Another chimed in with indignation: "Think about what you just tweeted. Trying to trivialise sex offences because the guy who violated the woman's consent is a mate of yours."

Laurence was embroiled in controversy when he allegedly shared an image on his page in April 2024. Narinda, 52, who has waived her right to anonymity, expressed at that time how the post left her "unimaginably mortifying." The following day, Fox addressed the uproar over the image he shared and voiced his intent to "apologise" to Narinda, though he implied "it's not my fault," referencing how the broadcaster got captured in such a manner over 15 years prior.

The Metropolitan Police issued a statement regarding the case: “A man has been charged with a sexual offence following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Laurence Fox, 46, from Peldon, Essex, is set to face Westminster Magistrates' Court on April 24, charged under section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The charge pertains to an image circulating on social media in April 2024." Upskirting, the act of taking non-consensual photographs underneath people's clothing, was classified as a criminal offence in 2019, and perpetrators caught can now face up to two years of imprisonment and may also be mandated to register as sex offenders.