John Leslie charged with sexual assault after hen do ‘attack’
FORMER TV star John Leslie has been charged with sexual assault after allegedly putting his hand up a woman’s tutu at a nightclub.
The 52-year-old former Blue Peter presenter – who strongly denies the allegations – is claimed to have assaulted the 26-year-old at upmarket Edinburgh club Atik in June.
Mr Leslie is a frequent visitor to the nightclub, which was used to shoot several scenes for the hit movie T2 Trainspotting.
He has also performed numerous DJ sets there.
A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed that they had charged a man of 52 over an alleged sexual assault on June 25, adding that a report had been handed to the procurator fiscal, Scotland’s public prosecutor.
Last night, when contacted by The Mail on Sunday about the claims, Mr Leslie said: ‘I totally deny the allegation that has been made. I have not done anything wrong.’
His solicitor, Mark Harrower, former president of the Edinburgh Bar Association, added: ‘I am confident that the evidence that the Crown Office holds will clear my client.’
A source told The Sun newspaper that the woman was part of a hen party that had come from out of town, adding: ‘They’d had a great night and were really enjoying themselves. The dance floor was really busy.’ Edinburghborn Mr Leslie got his big television break in 1989 when he landed the coveted job of Blue Peter presenter.
It was while he was working on the children’s show that he dated actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, then star of The Darling Buds Of May, for 18 months.
He later admitted that she was the only woman he had ever truly loved.
Blue Peter l ed t o other, more lucrative, opportunities and, after f i ve years, he became the presenter of Wheel Of Fortune, initially filming three shows a week for £2,000 per show.
His i ncome was f urther boosted to £ 350,000 a year when in 2001 he began presenting This Morning with Fern Britton.
He later dated nurse-turned-glamour model, Abi Titmuss, 41, before quitting television and establishing a successful career in property development. He also became a local radio DJ in Scotland.