A man formerly employed at Harrods, facing accusations of sexually assaulting a woman he met online while already being investigated for another alleged assault, has been released on bail for the third time.
Andrew Dent, aged 54, is accused of attacking a woman in her 30s at a hotel in West Berkshire and surreptitiously taking intimate photos of her in June 2024. Dent was apprehended that same month and granted bail following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, as confirmed by Thames Valley Police.
The second purported victim, a woman in her 50s, reported being victimized at a location in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, four months later in October 2024. Dent was arrested once more and released on bail for a second time, according to a police representative.
Following his initial appearance at Reading Magistrates’ Court on February 24, Dent was detained in custody. Subsequently, Dent participated in a closed hearing through video link at Reading Crown Court, held at the magistrates’ court, presided over by Judge Sarah Campbell.
A police spokesperson later verified that Dent was granted bail with a £50,000 security deposit, although the specifics of the bail conditions were not disclosed.
Dent previously held positions as a marketing manager at the prestigious department store in Knightsbridge during the 1990s and subsequently served as the Head of Promotions at Times Newspapers Ltd, as indicated in a press release from 2013. Presently, he serves as the CEO and publisher of the high-end Family Traveller magazine, recognized on its website as one of the “world’s largest and most influential family travel media brands.”
The publication boasted a noteworthy lineup of contributors, including Tom Parker Bowles, Mariella Frostrup, and BBC TV adventurer Simon Reeve, according to the 2013 release.
Dent, residing in High Wycombe, Bucks, faces charges including nine counts of rape, five counts of sexual assault by penetration, three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of assault resulting in actual bodily harm, and one count of voyeurism.
Thames Valley Police reported that the charges pertain to two women who were raped, sexually assaulted, strangled, and physically assaulted on separate occasions after meeting the defendant on a dating platform. One victim, in her 30s from South Wales, alleged an assault and non-consensual photography, while the other victim, in her 50s from London, reported an attack in Henley-on-Thames on the evening of October 26, 2024. Dent had been detained on February 24 before being granted bail by Judge Campbell. His next court appearance is scheduled at Reading Crown Court later this month.
According to his magazine’s website, Family Traveller, part of a global media group, was initially launched in the United Kingdom in 2013, subsequently expanding into Germany in 2016, the U.S. in 2018, Asia in 2022, and Canada in 2023.
The website claims to be one of the most prominent family