- guardian.co.uk, Friday November 24 2000 12.09 GMT
The 55-year-old, who became a star while at Cambridge University, was charged with buggery, attempted buggery and indecent assault, according to police sources.
Surrey police refused to discuss the charges but confirmed that he was released on conditional bail to appear before Staines magistrates court on November 30.
Mr King has "categorically" denied what he called "absurd allegations" against him.
Detectives made the arrest yesterday after police swooped on his home in Bayswater, west London. The serious sex offenders unit of the national criminal intelligence service has been gathering information on Mr King for months.
Sources said that the matters being investigated were of a "very serious nature".
Some of the incidents of alleged abuse go back to the late 1970s and 1980s, when Mr King ran a successful recording and publishing company.
The former public schoolboy, who shot to fame at the age of 21 with the song Everyone Has Gone To The Moon, discovered a number of bands including Genesis and 10cc.
His arrest comes after several men approached police with claims that they were abused as youngsters.
Detectives searched Mr King's home yesterday and removed a number of items for analysis.
Surrey police said in a statement: "We can confirm that Jonathan King has been charged with three offences and released on conditional bail to appear before Staines magistrates' court on November 30."
Useful links
National criminal intelligence service
Surrey police
Staines magistrates' court
