One of Britain’s first gay surrogate parents has appeared in court charged with human trafficking for sexual exploitation and rape following an investigation by Essex Police.
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, 57, was charged with multiple offences on Friday alongside partner Scott Drewitt-Barlow, 32.
Both men, of Danbury, Essex, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the men face multiple charges including rape, sexual assault, and modern slavery trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The alleged offences, which are said to have taken place in Essex and Manchester between April 2013 and January this year, relate to four different men, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The defendants are alleged to have “recruited” young men before grooming them and subjecting them to sexual assaults including rape, the court heard.
Defence barrister Oliver Snodin said the allegations against Barrie and Scott Drewitt-Barlow are “strenuously denied” by them both.
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow became Britain’s first gay surrogate parent in 1999.
Scott Drewitt-Barlow is the co-owner of Maldon and Tiptree football club along with his partner.
Flanked by custody officers, the defendants, wearing hooded sweatshirts, spoke only to confirm their personal details.
The two men were remanded into custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on June 5.
Prosecutor Serena Berry said: “Barrie Drewitt-Barlow is in a relationship with Scott Drewitt-Barlow… they are what could be termed to be celebrities, who live multi-million (pound) lifestyles and have featured in many documentaries and reality TV shows.
“They own the Maldon and Tiptree football club, and they have other businesses in the Essex area and also abroad in other countries.
“It is alleged they have both targeted young males, they have recruited them, they have befriended them, they have groomed them. They have invited them to their home and other premises.”
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow is charged with three counts of sexual assault on a male, four counts of rape of a man 16 or over, and two counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
Scott Drewitt-Barlow is charged with one count of sexual assault on a male, one count of rape of a man 16 or over, and two counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
Essex Police said officers from the Serious Crime Directorate carried out co-ordinated searches at premises in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree on Wednesday and arrested two men.
The force said that since then they have been liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Essex Police are appealing for information on the case and ask witnesses to contact them using the major incident public portal (MIPP) on their website, or by calling 0800 051 4526, or 0207 126 7612 internationally.
Meanwhile, a polling station at the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium was relocated elsewhere because of “an ongoing police investigation”.
On Thursday, Doug Wilkinson, deputy returning officer for Maldon District Council, said: “In light of an ongoing police investigation, I have made the decision to relocate the polling station from the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium to Blackwater Leisure Centre.
“Voters who were due to be voting at the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium, will be re-directed to Blackwater Leisure Centre and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause due to the very late change.”
ITV has shelved a planned TV show about the men’s move into football club ownership.
A press release on the ITV website published on March 31 and still available online on Friday morning said six-part series Up The Jammers “follows Barrie and Scott’s pursuit to take the Isthmian League North Division team to the grand heights of the English Football League within four years”.
The press release said: “Barrie wants sparkle, Scott’s in charge of making it happen – Anfield turf, glam loos, Guinness on tap for less than a fiver. But it turns out fans don’t just want fancy, they want three points.”
A quote from Barrie Drewitt-Barlow included in the press release said: “We didn’t get into football to play it safe, we got into it to build something big, and ITV is the perfect platform to bring that story to life.
“Nothing has been hidden. The pressure, the decisions, the ambition, the ups and downs, it’s all there. This is the reality of football ownership, unfiltered, and people are going to see exactly what it takes to try and take a club to the next level.”
On Friday morning, an ITV spokesperson said: “ITV has decided to remove Up The Jammers from the upcoming schedule. It will no longer be shown on ITV4 or ITVX as previously advertised.”