Older brother of Oasis stars charged with rape

Paul Gallagher watches Liam Gallagher perform during day four of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 29, 2019 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

London, United Kingdom -- The elder brother of Oasis band members Noel and Liam Gallagher, who are currently in the middle of an international reunion tour, has been charged with rape, police in London said Monday.

Paul Gallagher, 59, also faces charges of coercive and controlling behaviour and three counts of sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

In addition, he is charged with three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, it added.

The offences, which relate to the same woman, are alleged to have taken place between 2022-24.

Noel and Liam, who shot to fame in the mid-1990s Britpop era, have been performing to sell-out crowds for the first time since an acrimonious split nearly 16 years ago.

Paul Gallagher, who has never been part of Oasis, will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London on August 27.

AFP