Star of Channel 4 hit show Amazing Spaces charged with raping and sexually assaulting woman at posh hotel
A STAR of Channel 4's Amazing Spaces has been accused of rape and sexual assault, The Sun can reveal.
James Catling, 32, is said to have attacked a woman at a posh pub and hotel in Great Tew, Oxon, in September 2022.
4
The long-running property show, fronted by architect George Clarke, featured his Airstream caravan refurbishment company on April 15 this year.
Catling was arrested a day after the alleged sex attack on October 1 2022, but was released under investigation.
He was charged by post last month with one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault and appeared at Oxford magistrates' court on Tuesday afternoon.
It is unclear when the Amazing Spaces episode was filmed, or whether Catling disclosed to the broadcaster that he had been charged with serious sex offences when it aired.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Channel 4.
Two of the counts relate to 'kissing and touching' around the woman's neck, mouth and bottom at the pub, which The Sun is not naming.
Catling, who wore black trousers and a chequered shirt in court, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.
Dr Andrew Rushbrook JP told him: 'You've heard what's been said today.
'We have to send this to the crown court, where all four offences you have been charged with will be dealt with together."
He was released on bail under the condition that he does not contact his alleged victim and will appear at Oxford crown court next month.
The episode, which is still available on YouTube and Channel 4's streaming platform, showed Catling adding 800 new parts to a 1947 campervan, costing almost £40,000.
4
Catling had flown to the US to buy the van before shipping it back to Britain.
Mr Clarke, 50, told Catling he had made it look 'brand new' and like 'the inside of a luxury private jet'.
He added it was "the best Airstream restoration project I have ever seen."
Catling has since listed it on eBay for £120,000 alongside his other vans.
Channel 4 also published clips from the episode featuring Catling on their YouTube channel, racking up thousands of hits.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Fears grow for woman, 54, who vanished near tunnel with CCTV released in desperate search
POLICE have released CCTV footage of a missing woman who was last spotted in the early hours of Tuesday. Fears are growing for the welfare of Deborah Hudson, 54, who was last seen walking along Canterbury Road East, Ramsgate, later the same day. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Madeleine McCann police may have found 'smoking gun' after 'new evidence'
German and Portuguese authorities spent three days searching a 120-acre stretch of land in Lagos, Portugal, in the latest bid to find evidence against suspect Christian Brueckner Police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance may have found a "smoking gun" after "new evidence" linked the missing toddler to prime suspect Christian Brueckner, according to an expert. German and Portuguese authorities spent three days searching a 120-acre stretch of land in Lagos, Portugal, in the latest bid to find evidence against Brueckner. Crews spent days scouring scrubland, abandoned structures, and a derelict farmhouse in the area, which was just 30 miles from where the missing three-year-old went missing in May 2007. According to local media, "several objects" including "clothing and debris and bones" were found." A source told Berlin Morning Post: 'Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things." Recent horror evidence discovered in Breuckner's lair led to the chief suspect being investigated, according to a new documentary. Images of children in swimming costumes, toddler toys, and sick kidnapping stories written by Breuckner, where he describes using chemical ether to abduct a mum and her child. A document also put the suspect at the location of a search for Madeleine McCann, where he allegedly said "she did not scream" as he discussed the British toddler with an associate. He also reveals a harrowing kidnapping story, including: "A very small girl enters the room. She's definitely not older than five." The search carried out last week was at the request of the German federal police as they look for evidence that could implicate Christian Brueckner. According to The Sun's documentary, an 80gb hard drive was found consisting of images and a laptop key, which may have prompted investigators to link the suspect to Madeleine's disappearance. The hard drive also placed Brueckner at the heart of the search location in Arades Dam, in Portugal. The documentary also revealed Brueckner also wanted to "capture something small and use it for days." Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Kent, Robert Green, believes the decision from authorities to carry out searches into Brueckner's lair could serve as a "smoking gun" for authorities. He told The Mirror: "The authorities' decision to carry out a new search, it is likely influenced by the accumulation of new evidence and information that may have come to light, particularly from recent documentaries and interviews. "As for the hard drive, if it contains incriminating evidence, it may indeed serve as a "smoking gun" for investigators. Digital evidence often provides invaluable insights into a suspect's activities, intentions, and potential connections to criminal cases. Should the contents be substantial, they could significantly strengthen the case against Brueckner. "The rationale behind the renewed search could stem from the ongoing pursuit of justice in the Madeleine McCann case and the hope that any additional evidence could lead to a breakthrough. Investigators continually assess existing evidence and pursue lines of inquiry they believe could be fruitful, especially in cases that have remained unresolved for many years."
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
How illegal migrants are paying £20k to fly into the UK using fake papers before disappearing in new border threat
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) APPROACHING British passport control, a mum grips her young daughter's hand nervously. She fidgets with the documents they hope will fool airport officials into letting them through. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Cops arrested the crooks they believed had been trafficking untold numbers of illegal immigrants into Britain Credit: GMP 7 Cops ready to strike on a morning raid in Bolton Credit: GMP 7 An officer whacks the door with a battering ram Credit: GMP 7 Two policemen lead their suspect towards a van Credit: GMP With her eyes darting nervously and head hung low, it doesn't take long for border control officers at Manchester airport to clock something is not quite right. And on closer examination, it is clear the paperwork is forged. Immediately, they are blocked from entering the UK. But while this mum and daughter failed, there are plenty more queuing up to take their place — and the majority are Iranians, cops believe. And far from risking death in treacherous boat journeys across the Channel, these chancers are prepared to pay £20,000 for a forged document pack enabling them to travel to the UK from airports all over Europe. Many will get through — mysteriously disappearing once they have conned their way through customs. Or they will dump their forged or stolen documents and immediately head to the closest immigration office to beg for asylum. But on this occasion, Greater Manchester Police were called and an investigation — named Operation Alfriston — was quickly formed. Its aim is to discover who these ruthless smuggling gangs are and how they operate across the UK. This week The Sun was invited to watch as cops smashed down doors and arrested the crooks they believed had been trafficking untold numbers of illegal immigrants into Britain. 13 migrants jumped from the back of a lorry at a Sainsbury's distribution centre in South East London At 6am yesterday, 129 GMP police officers, alongside seven immigration compliance and enforcement officers, stormed 15 different addresses. They arrested eight men, between the ages of 18 and 52, and two women, aged 32 and 43, all involved in a conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law by assisting illegal entry into the UK. If charged and found guilty, each member could face life in prison for their role in the smuggling ring. 'I think we're just scraping the surface' The arrests took place in Greater Manchester — Bolton, Sale, Bramhall, Salford, Leigh and Cheadle — and Cricklewood, North London. We saw cops from the Tactical Aid Unit shatter a glass door and then break down an internal one to enter a property in Bolton. They alerted the occupants to their arrival with shouts of 'police' as they marched inside in full protective gear. Greater Manchester Police's Head of Intel, Detective Chief Superintendent John Griffith, told The Sun: 'Tackling immigration crime has become a priority for us. With the arrests yesterday morning, I think we're just scraping the surface. 'By focusing on gathering intelligence on the infrastructure around how people are entering the UK illegally, hopefully we can deter other people from doing it.' 7 Migrants met by officers after arriving in Kent Credit: AFP Often people who are smuggled into the UK will end up working for little money at businesses such as car washes, nail bars and hairdressers. DCS Griffith, who has a background in counter terrorism, added: 'These people are hugely vulnerable. 'If you can imagine some of the travelling conditions that they will have faced across Europe when coming into the UK — to put up with that, there must be a real desire to get here. 'That desire often transfers into a willingness to pay a lot of money to individuals to facilitate that entry, irrespective of the success of that entry or not. 'There are numerous individuals who have paid these facilitators and actually have never arrived in the UK, but continue to engage with them and pay them just for the attraction of coming here.' Not long before Christmas last year, the ringleader of an organised crime gang dealing with migrants was picked up at the airport and flagged to police. At the time, he was not arrested. Instead, cops gathered intelligence so that when they struck, they could take out all the key players. While this is technically smuggling, it sits in a grey area that shares characteristics with modern slavery. Justine Carter The crook did most of his communications in the Persian language Farsi, adding a stumbling block for the team of 12 police officers. For fake documents or stolen identities and paperwork to enter the UK via an airport, the group was charging around £20,000. Investigation leader Detective Chief Inspector Tim Berry told The Sun: 'Our main suspect, who is actively involved in facilitating people into the UK, is generally using false documents of various nationalities. 'To do that he needs a number of people around him to facilitate and support with various elements, such as supplying false documents, booking travel, moving monies — that kind of thing. 'We know that he's offering the full package for around £20,000. It's that profit that motivates organised crime gangs to do this kind of work.' The Manchester force has spent thousands of man hours to identify all the key players in the group, with their tentacles extending as far as Cricklewood. Police believe most of the people who have paid the extortionate fee to travel safely through the air, rather than crammed on a small boat in the Channel, are of Iranian nationality. 7 Det Chief Supt John Griffith from Greater Manchester Police Credit: Greater Manchester Police 7 Fake passports are being sold by callous criminals Credit: Getty But not all the fake documents work, meaning the holders are turned away at the border and sent back to the country they have flown in from. The process of sorting what is sold as safe passage to the UK requires a team of people. DCI Berry explained: 'We have evidence of travel booked by travel agents and our view is that they're doing that knowing that they're acting illegally, rather than blindly. 'We've also arrested people involved in money exchange services because you have to move money across Europe to pay for these documents. 'A lot of the people arrested fall into the logistics and facilitating category rather than being the organiser.' 'Exploitation isn't always visible or physical' But things could be more sinister than just people smuggling — it is possible that the gang is also going on to exploit the people it has helped to enter the country illegally. This would fall under modern slavery, where illegal immigrants are forced to work long hours for low pay or be exploited sexually to pay off their debt. DCS Griffiths said: 'Modern slavery in organised immigration crime is interlinked significantly. For me, organised immigration crime is the primary offence. 'People are coming into the country illegally, and we need to stop that collectively through our police action and partnership action. 'But once people are here, they are tied into the country through debt bondage. 'They get pulled into the grey economy as gangs exploiting these people either utilise their labour or engage them even further in criminal enterprise. 'Ahead of the curve' 'This would be criminality such as drug supply and cannabis farms and other sorts of premises where crimes can be undertaken.' Traditionally, immigration offences were dealt with by the National Crime Agency, Border Force and immigration enforcement officers. But with the flood of illegal migrants by boat and other entry points, local police have been asked to step in too. DCI Berry said: 'In recent years, there's been a real push from the Home Office and from the National Crime Agency for police forces to improve their response to organised immigration crime. 'I would like to think as a force that we're actually fairly ahead of the curve because we have a dedicated team. 'We absolutely do look to take this work on and we're still developing an understanding about our work from an intelligence point of view. 'But wherever we get opportunities to investigate this, we will do — because we recognise the risks around it and the vulnerabilities and the harm that can be caused by it.' Justine Carter, director of strategy and business services at anti-modern slavery group Unseen, said: 'While this is technically smuggling, it sits in a grey area that shares characteristics with modern slavery. 'These cases typically involve recruitment, movement, deception, and significant financial exploitation, which can often lead to debt bondage and long-term vulnerability. 'Even without forced labour, the legal threshold for trafficking may still be met if the acts, means and purpose are present. 'In these cases, the purpose is not labour or sexual exploitation, but financial gain through the exploitation of vulnerable people. 'It's a reminder that exploitation isn't always visible or physical — it can be economic and deeply systemic.' The ten people arrested are being interviewed under suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law, assisting illegal entry into the country by non-UK nationals in breach of immigration law, conspiracy to money launder and participating in the activities of organised crime.
