Ex-Dragon's Den star and government adviser Doug Richard charged with child sex offences

A former Dragon's Den star and government adviser has been charged with child sex offences, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Doug Richard, 57, has been charged with with three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The alleged offences occurred on 2nd January 2015 and relate to one victim aged 13 at the time, the CPS say.

Mr Richard will appear before Magistrates on 5th October.

In a statement, Richard said: "I absolutely deny the charges against me and will contest this matter in court."

American-born multi-millionaire Mr Richard appeared in the first two series of the BBC's Dragon's Den programme and reportedly attended a trade mission with the Prime Minister to southern Africa in 2011. He also wrote a report for the Conservatives on the state of small business in the UK.