More skeletons in 'BBC' closet: 83-year-old broadcaster charged with rape

Veteran TV and radio broadcaster Stuart Hall has been charged with rape and 14 counts of indecent assault. The 83-year-old BBC presenter is accused of raping a 22-year-old woman in 1976. He is also charged with 14 offences of indecent assault against 10 girls aged nine to 16 between 1967 and 1986, The Sun reported.

The charges are related to new alleged victims but not linked to his previous court appearance on sex abuse charges, which he has denied. Hall was arrested on Tuesday morning after attending a police station by appointment. He was bailed to face Preston magistrates February 7.

"Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, an 83-year-old man has this evening been charged with one offence of rape and 14 offences of indecent assault," Daily Mail quoted Lancashire police in a statement.

On January 7, Hall, a father of two, appeared in the same court to deny sexually abusing three girls aged nine to 16, between 1974 and 1984. He was accused of fondling a girl, then aged 16 or 17, in 1974. He was also accused of molesting a nine-year-old girl in 1983 and grabbing a 13-year-old girl by chin.

Hall is due at Preston Crown Court, Lancashire, April 16 in relation to those three earlier charges. The BBC has stated he would not be working at the corporation while he is facing allegations.