Barrie Drewitt-Barlow (57 years old) – one of the pioneers of gay parenting in the UK and the first opening gay football club owner – and his husband Scott Hutchison (32 years old) were formally accused of numerous sexual crimes, including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking in the form of modern slavery for sexual exploitation.
Both men are scheduled to appear today (8 May 2026) at the Magistrates Court in Chelmsford, Essex County. The charges arise from an Essex police investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation, rape and other sexual crimes.
Essex police conducted coordinated raids on three properties on Wednesday (6 May 2026): a couple's house in Danbury (where officers had to break down the wooden fence to get inside), as well as properties in Braintree and Maldon. Criminal units were working on the scene, and several police vehicles were parked in the driveway.
In a statement released on Thursday, police confirmed:
"Detectives from Essex Police Serious Crime Department secured charges against two men in connection with an investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation, rape and other sexual crimes. [...] We confirm that 57-year-old Barrie Drewitt-Barlow and 32-year-old Scott Hutchison [a variant of Scott Drewitt-Barlow – ed.], both of Danbury, have been accused of numerous crimes, including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking in the form of modern slavery for sexual exploitation. They will both appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today."
Police call for possible witnesses or persons with contact information through the Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) or at 0800 051 4526 (UK) and 020 126 7612 (outside the country).
Who are the defendants?
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow and his then partner Tony Drewitt-Barlow gained publicity in 1999 as one of the first gay couples in Britain to have children thanks to a surrogate. The pair then became a media symbol of "modern parenting". Barrie, a multimillionaire, is also known for buying a non-league football club Maldon and Tiptree FC 14 months ago – it was the first case of an open gay as the owner of a football club in the UK. The ITV documentary planned for next week about his activities at the club was dropped due to accusations.
Drewitt-Barlow also performed on reality shows, among others. Rich House, Poor House, Below Deck Sailing Yacht And in the series in which he made his home available to a stranger. In the past, he publicly talked about dealings with gay Premier League footballers who, in his opinion, fear coming out.
The accusations relate to very serious crimes, but at this stage no details were disclosed concerning alleged victims or specific circumstances of events. Under British law, both men are found innocent until proven guilty in court.
It's a development. The article is based on information published today by the Daily Mail and the official Essex Police release.
Source: Daily Mail
