Veteran BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall today appeared at a pre-trial hearing over allegations of historic sex offences.
Hall, 83, was initially charged with three separate indecent assaults of young girls dating between 1974 and 1984.
He then faced additional charges that he raped a woman in 1976 and committed 14 sexual assaults against 10 girls between 1967 and 1986.
Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, today appeared at Preston Crown Court.
In February, the sports pundit told how he had been driven to the brink of suicide by the ‘spurious’ claims of rape and indecent assault.
The commentator defended himself, saying he had been through a ‘living nightmare’.
An emotional Hall called the allegations ‘pernicious, callous and cruel’ and also revealed that he was nursing a heart complaint brought on by the stress of the ordeal.
Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century and was last year awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours.
His eccentric and erudite football match summaries made him a cult figure on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Hall and his wife, who have two grown-up children, Daniel, 50, and Francesca, 52, are popular among the local community.
In the dock: Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century
Charged: Hall appeared at Preston Crown Court today
He won legions of fans in the 1970s and 1980s for his inimitable style and habit of breaking down in fits of laughter during It’s a Knockout.
He became an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.
Hall, 83, was initially charged with three separate indecent assaults of young girls dating between 1974 and 1984.
He then faced additional charges that he raped a woman in 1976 and committed 14 sexual assaults against 10 girls between 1967 and 1986.
Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, today appeared at Preston Crown Court.
In February, the sports pundit told how he had been driven to the brink of suicide by the ‘spurious’ claims of rape and indecent assault.
The commentator defended himself, saying he had been through a ‘living nightmare’.
An emotional Hall called the allegations ‘pernicious, callous and cruel’ and also revealed that he was nursing a heart complaint brought on by the stress of the ordeal.
Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century and was last year awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours.
His eccentric and erudite football match summaries made him a cult figure on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Hall and his wife, who have two grown-up children, Daniel, 50, and Francesca, 52, are popular among the local community.
In the dock: Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century
Charged: Hall appeared at Preston Crown Court today
He won legions of fans in the 1970s and 1980s for his inimitable style and habit of breaking down in fits of laughter during It’s a Knockout.
He became an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.