British businessman and television personality Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, who became widely known in the UK after he and his former partner were among the country’s “first gay fathers” through surrogacy, has been charged with multiple serious sexual offences alongside his husband Scott Hutchison.Essex Police said 57-year-old Drewitt-Barlow and Hutchison, 32, both from Danbury in Essex, have been charged with offences including rape, sexual assault and modern slavery trafficking for sexual exploitation, Daily Mail reported citing police.The pair were due to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday.The charges follow coordinated police raids carried out at properties in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree earlier this week as part of an investigation led by Essex Police’s Serious Crime Directorate.“Officers from the Serious Crime Directorate at Essex Police carried co-ordinated searches at premises in Danbury, Maldon, and Braintree on Wednesday and arrested two men,” the force said in a statement.Police added that investigators had been working with the Crown Prosecution Service before formally approving charges against the pair.“We can now confirm that 57-year-old Barrie Drewitt-Barlow and 32-year-old Scott Drewitt-Barlow, both of Danbury, have both been charged with multiple offences including rape, sexual assault, and modern slavery trafficking for sexual exploitation,” the statement said.Drewitt-Barlow first gained national attention in 1999 when he and his then-partner Tony Drewitt-Barlow became one of the first gay couples in Britain to have children through a surrogate mother.Over the years, he also appeared on television programmes including Rich House, Poor House and Below Deck Sailing Yacht.The businessman later entered football ownership after acquiring non-league side Maldon & Tiptree FC. British media reports said an ITV documentary series focusing on his plans for the club has now reportedly been cancelled following the charges.Drewitt-Barlow had also spoken publicly in the past about sexuality in professional football, claiming that some current footballers had privately approached him regarding coming out as gay.He previously told the BBC that he did not want to become “the poster boy for gay footballing”. “I’ve already been classed as the poster boy for gay parenting or surrogacy and it doesn’t get anybody anywhere,” Drewitt-Barlow said.“I don’t think people want to [come out] because they’re scared about what might happen in the dressing room, as well as on the pitch. I think the only people that can truly help and make it more normalised are the leagues and the FA.”
