Craig McLachlan charged with sex offences, assault

Gold Logie award-winning actor Craig McLachlan has been charged with assault and sex offences, and is set to front court next month. It comes 12 months after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against the TV and stage star.

Craig McLachlan has been charged by Victoria Police. Picture: Supplied/Seven

Gold Logie award-winning actor Craig McLachlan has been charged by Victoria Police following allegations of indecent assault.

The stage and TV actor has been charged with one count of common law assault, eight counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.

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Victoria Police’s Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives had been investigating a number of allegations of historical sexual assaults committed in Melbourne’s CBD in 2014 for some time.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said: “Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team have charged a 53-year-old NSW man on one count of common law assault, eight counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Craig McLachlan was dumped from his starring role in The Rocky Horror Show. Picture: Calum Robertson

“He was charged on summons to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 8 February 2019.”

A spokesman for McLachlan told the Herald Sun: “Craig is innocent of these charges which will be vigorously defended.”

The charges come 12 months after McLachlan was dumped from The Rocky Horror Show amid claims of sexual assault, harassment and bullying.

Ratings juggernaut The Dr Blake Mysteries, in which he starred, was also cancelled by the ABC last year.

The allegations emerged last year when actor Christie Whelan-Browne accused McLachlan, her Rocky Horror Show co-star, of sexual misconduct.

Christie Whelan Brown first raised accusations a year ago. Picture: 7:30/ABC

In January last year, Ms Whelan-Browne said the alleged experience left her “completely broken.”

She played Janet opposite McLachlan’s lead role Frank-N-Furter during the show’s 2014 tour.

She said on social media last year: “I blamed myself for a long time and I thought I was alone. But when I found out I wasn’t, I knew it was important to try and take a stand.

“My hope is to spark a change. And change is hard.”

McLachlan is best known for appearing on Neighbours and Home and Away, winning the Logie for Most Popular Actor in 1989 and 1990.

He also won the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical for his role in The Rocky Horror Show in 2015.