On Air Now

Mike Nicholson

10:00am - 2:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Kiki Dee

I've Got The Music In Me

Download

Britain's first gay surrogate parent charged with rape and human trafficking

One of Britain's first gay surrogate parents has been charged with rape and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, 57, became Britain's first gay surrogate parent in 1999.

He and Scott Drewitt-Barlow, 32, the co-owner of Maldon and Tiptree Football Club, are charged with multiple offences.

The pair, from Danbury, Essex, will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Barrie Drewitt-Barlow has been 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 has been 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 searches at premises in Danbury, Maldon and Braintree on Wednesday and arrested two men.

The force said since then it has been liaising with the CPS.

Read more from Sky News:
Another Briton with suspected case of hantavirus
UK's most popular cars ranked for petrol costs

ITV has shelved a planned TV show about the men's move into football club ownership.

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."

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Britain's first gay surrogate parent charged with rape and human trafficking

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from National News

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Heavy rain shower

    High: 15°C | Low: 8°C

  • Filey

    Light rain shower

    High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

  • Whitby

    Light rain

    High: 15°C | Low: 9°C

  • Bridlington

    Light rain shower

    High: 13°C | Low: 8°C

  • Hornsea

    Light rain

    High: 15°C | Low: 8°C

  • Driffield

    Light rain

    High: 16°C | Low: 7°C

News