Stuart Hall arrested over rape charges

British broadcaster Stuart Hall has been charged with one offence of rape and 14 offences of indecent assault, Lancashire Police have said.

Stuart Hall, 83, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, was arrested on Tuesday after attending a police station by appointment.

The rape is alleged to have been committed in 1976 against a 22-year-old woman.

The indecent assaults are alleged to have taken place between 1967 and 1986 on 10 girls aged between nine and 16.

Stuart Hall has been bailed to appear before magistrates in Preston on February 7.

A Lancashire Police statement said: “Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service an 83-year-old man has this evening been charged with one offence of rape and 14 offences of indecent assault.”

Stuart Hall pleaded not guilty to three charges of indecent assault when he appeared at Preston Magistrates’ Court earlier this month. The court referred these charges to Preston Crown Court.

The broadcaster is best known for his sports reporting on BBC Radio 5 live – as well as his work on the 1970s TV show It’s A Knockout.

Stuart Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century and became an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.