[Archive 2012-12-05] UK police charge presenter Stuart Hall over indecent assault allegations

Historical archive — originally published 2012-12-05. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In the United Kingdom, Lancashire Constabulary have charged television and radio presenter Stuart Hall with three counts of indecent assault offences. The charges relate to complaints about alleged events between 1974 and 1984 involving three females between eight and seventeen years of age. Hall has been released on bail and is expected to appear at Preston Magistrates' Court January 7.

Lancashire Constabulary described the nature of the allegations as "historic" and said the suspect was being interrogated at a police station today. They arrested Hall at his residence. John Dilworth, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said "there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and ... it is in the public interest to prosecute this case."

Hall notably presented UK game show It's a Knockout. He has recently been featuring as an association football commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live, although the corporation said he was not scheduled to present at the station this weekend. Hall was awarded an OBE in the last New Year Honours for services to charity and broadcasting, having had a broadcasting career lasting fifty years.

Dilworth stated the following information about the ages of the alleged victims and the dates between which these incidents allegedly occurred: one aged 16–17, between September 1 and December 31, 1974; one aged 13, between July 1 and September 27, 1984; and one aged 8–9, between January 1 and December 31, 1983.

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