British businessman and TV personality Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, best known in the UK for becoming Britain’s “first gay father” through a surrogate with his ex-partner, has been charged with a number of serious sexual offenses along with her husband Scott Hutchison.Essex Police said 57-year-old De Ruyter-Barlow and 32-year-old Hutcheson, both from Danbury, Essex, were charged with rape, sexual assault and modern slave trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, the Daily Mail reported, citing police sources.The pair are due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday.The charges follow coordinated police raids at properties in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree earlier this week as part of an investigation led by Essex Police’s Serious Crime Bureau.“Officers from Essex Police’s Serious Crime Bureau carried out co-ordinated searches at premises in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree on Wednesday and arrested two men,” police said in a statement.Police added that investigators were working with the Crown Prosecution Service before charges were formally approved against the pair.“We can now confirm that Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, 57, and Scott Drewitt-Barlow, 32, both of Danbury, have been charged with a number of offences, including rape, sexual assault and modern slave trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation,” the statement said.De Ruyter-Barlow first came to national attention in 1999 when he and his then-partner Tony De Ruyter-Barlow became one of the first gay couples in Britain to have a child via a surrogate mother.Over the years, he has also appeared on television shows such as Rich House, Poor House and Below Deck.The businessman later entered football after acquiring non-league side Maldon & Tiptree FC. British media reported that an ITV documentary series about his plans for the club has reportedly been canceled following the allegations.De Ruyter-Barlow has also spoken out publicly about sexual issues in professional football in the past, claiming that he had been approached privately by some current football players about coming out as gay.He has previously told the BBC that he did not want to be “the face of gay football”. “I’ve been labeled as the poster child for gay parenting or surrogacy, but it doesn’t do anyone any good,” De Ruyter-Barlow said.“I don’t think people want to [come out] Because they are afraid of what might happen in the locker room and on the field. I think the only people who can really help and normalize it more are the league and the FA. “
