Coro St actor on sex charges
London – British soap opera actor Michael Le Vell, who plays garage boss Kevin Webster in TV’s Coronation Street, has been charged with child sex offences.
Le Vell, 48, whose real name is Michael Turner, is accused of 19 offences, including raping a child, indecently assaulting a child, and sexual activity with a child.
Le Vell, a stalwart on the popular ITV series, will appear in court on February 27, Greater Manchester police said.
He was first arrested in September 2011 and questioned over alleged child sex offences, but the matter was later dropped.
But yesterday police said the actor, from Hale, Cheshire, had been charged with sex offences against a youngster after a review of evidence by lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
A police spokeswoman said: ‘‘Michael Turner, of Byrom St, Hale, has been charged with 19
‘‘I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Michael Robert Turner with a number of sexual offences’’ Alison Levitt, QC
offences including raping a child, indecently assaulting a child and sexual activity with a child.
‘‘The charges, which were authorised by the CPS following a review of evidence, relate to offences against a child between 2001 and 2010.’’
Alison Levitt, QC, principal legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, had reviewed a file of evidence in relation to allegations of sexual offences and looked again at a decision previously made not to prosecute.
Levitt said: ‘‘I have very carefully reviewed the evidence in this case and I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Michael Robert Turner with a number of sexual offences.’’
Le Vell, a father of two, was not charged with offences after his initial arrest in September 2011 and the investigation was dropped three months later when the authorities said there was not enough evidence to charge him.
At the time Le Vell said he was ‘‘delighted’’ to have been ‘‘completely exonerated’’, thanked police for their ‘‘thorough’’ investigation and Coronation Street staff and the public for their support.
Le Vell vowed to put the allegations behind him and returned to the show after a short break.
He is currently involved in some of the soap’s main storylines.
He is one of British TV’s most famous faces after playing the same character for the past 30 years.
He split from his wife, Janette Beverley, last year.