The owners of English football club Maldon and Tiptree FC have been charged with multiple offences, including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, 57, and his husband Scott Drewitt-Barlow, 32, were arrested on Wednesday, Essex Police said.
As part of the investigation, forensic experts searched the stadium of the lower league club Maldon and Tiptree, the couple’s home in Southwood Chase in Danbury and The Swan pub in Braintree, which is owned by Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, writes BBC.
Both are due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court today. On Wednesday, police also took away the Rolls-Royce owned by Barrie Drewitt-Barlow for forensic examination. The car is part of a larger amount of evidence collected at the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium, as the Maldon and Tiptree Stadium is now called.
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow has also appeared in reality shows
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, a property entrepreneur, shot to fame in 1999 when he and then-partner Tony were unveiled as Britain’s first gay fathers, after fathering children through a surrogate mother.
He later appeared in reality shows such as Rich House, Poor House and Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Barrie and Scott Drewitt-Barlow in 2025 completed the multi-million dollar takeover of Maldon and Tiptree and oversaw the club’s promotion to the seventh tier of English football.
Among the more famous names they brought to the club were former West Ham United striker Freddie Sears and ex-Manchester City and Ipswich Town player-turned-coach Kevin Horlock. Barrie Drewitt-Barlow renamed the stadium after himself and claimed that the average attendance of matches under his leadership increased from 70 to 800 spectators, writes Index.hr.
(TIP/Photo: Social networks)
