Hardeep Singh Kohli to face trial on 20 counts of rape and sexual offenses against five women
Comedian and presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli goes on trial on charges of repeatedly raping one woman and committing sexual crimes against four others.
Kohli, known for appearing on celebrity editions of “Big Brother” and “Masterchef”, pleaded not guilty to a total of 20 charges through his legal team during a hearing held at the High Court in Glasgow.
The allegations cover a long period, from January 2006 to June 2021, and include five separate allegations of rape involving one of the victims.
Comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli, 57, from Kelvinside, Glasgow, is a former reporter on BBC’s “The One Show” and a commentator on Channel 5’s “The Wright Stuff.”
The first offense identified would have occurred between June 15 and July 31, 2020 in a residence located near Glasgow.
Kohli is accused of raping the same woman on “several occasions” in the same property, as well as two other times in properties in the east of the city, from June 2020 until February 1, 2021.
The accused allegedly committed the acts again on two occasions, just two days apart, in December 2020.
The last rape incident, according to the complaint, allegedly occurred at one of the addresses in the east zone on June 20, 2021, when the woman was “intoxicated, alternating between consciousness and unconsciousness, and unable to consent” at the time.
Kohli also separately faces four charges of sexual assault against the same woman.
Among the allegations is that he made her wear a blindfold during one of the incidents and spat on her in another situation.
The comedian is also accused of maintaining a pattern of abusive behavior towards his wife over a period of two years.
These include allegations that he requested intimate images of her, sought information about her past relationships, monitored her movements and harassed her with calls and texts.
There is also the accusation that he “coerced” the woman into giving him money.
Court documents further detail that he locked her out of his home, showed up uninvited at her residence and discarded food she had prepared for him.
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Kohli is additionally accused of communicating indecently with the woman and sending her photos of semi-nude women.
The first charges in the indictment are that Kohli indecently assaulted another woman at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow and also at the Radisson Hotel on Argyle Street in the same city.
He is also accused of committing a sex-related disturbance of the peace at an unidentified restaurant.
These events would have occurred between January 2006 and December 2008.
Hardeep Singh Kohli is further accused of indecently assaulting and performing a sexual act on a third woman at the Cross Keys Hotel in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway, on June 22, 2008.
He is also accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a fourth woman at the University of Edinburgh in August 2011.
Kohli faces the same charge against the fifth woman on December 20, 2016.
The indictment includes allegations that he grabbed the woman at what was then Yes Bar in the city center, hugged her and kissed her on the mouth.
The artist is also accused of having threatening and abusive behavior towards her, repeatedly chasing her in the bar and making sexual comments.
Kohli was excused from attending the brief hearing. His defense lawyer, Sarah Livingstone, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
She filed a special defense of consent to some of the charges.
The start of the trial is scheduled for October 1, 2027.
