BBC star & ‘Harry Potter expert’ who wrote books about popular kids’ series is charged with historic child sex offences

A FAMED writer and adept connected Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is facing proceedings aft being charged with historical kid enactment offences.

Colin Duriez, 77 – a prof and commentator who has appeared connected the BBC – faces 3 counts of indecent battle connected a miss aged nether 16.

Duriez, of Wallingford, Oxon is acceptable to basal proceedings astatine Leicester Crown Court successful July aft being charged with the assaults betwixt 1989 and 1991.

He is simply a well-known writer and an adept connected phantasy literature.

Bearded Duriez has penned books connected the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings writer JRR Tolkien and Chronicles of Narnia writer C.S Lewis.

He is besides a lecturer and has appeared arsenic a commentator connected the BBC’s Worlds of Fantasy bid and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings DvD.

Duriez lives with his 2nd woman – writer Cindy Zudys – successful Oxfordshire and antecedently lived successful Leicestershire and Keswick, Cumbria.

Leicestershire Police said successful a statement: “Colin Duriez has has been charged with 3 counts of intersexual battle connected a miss nether the property of 16 betwixt September 1989 and July 1991.

A spokesperson for Leicester Crown Court added: “I corroborate that Colin Duriez is charged with 3 counts of indecent battle of a miss aged nether 16, for proceedings connected July 14.”

Duriez has had a agelong vocation penning books and appearing connected large TV channels speaking astir his work.

His website’s ‘About me’ page, reads: “Colin has contributed to television documentaries including, A Quest for Meaning -- Myth, Imagination & Faith successful the Literature of J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis.

“He has spoken astatine a assortment of conferences connected Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and the Inklings successful the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, Poland, Finland, Britain, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.”

His best-selling books see The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and their circle, the A-Z of C.S Lewis and A Field Guide to Harry Potter.

Duriez, who has worked arsenic a tutor astatine Lancaster University, besides wrote A Field Guide to Narnia.

He is understood to beryllium progressive with Christian groups and has focused his studies connected Christian authors including Tolkien and C.S Lewis.

Explaining however his emotion of lit flourished successful an interrogation published connected YouTube past year, Duriez said: “It each started erstwhile I was astatine schoolhouse and we were speechmaking C.S Lewis’ publication Mere Christianity.

"It was done him that I came crossed Tolkien. I went to the University of Istanbul for 2 years and that’s wherever I work Lord of the Rings.

“I past wrote an nonfiction connected Tolkien and that’s wherever it each started.

“Since past I’ve written a fewer books connected Tolkien and his person C.S Lewis.”

And talking astir his publication A Field Guide to Harry Potter, Duriez said: “I americium trying to springiness and all-in-one usher to the Harry Potter books which takes into relationship each 7 books.

“One of the things which archetypal funny maine with the JK Rowling stories is the information that it was children queueing up to bargain them arsenic they came out, and telling their friends they indispensable work them.

“I felt determination indispensable beryllium thing successful them precise charismatic and nourishing and I started to work them myself.”