The adopted daughter of Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French and her ex husband Sir Lenny Henry appeared today charged with harassing her former boyfriend.

Billie Henry, 28, is accused of sending excessive emails and text messages including threats of violence to her ex, Samuel King.

Henry arrived at court with Dawn French's businessman husband Mark Bignell who sat in the public gallery for the five-minute hearing.

She denied a charge of repeatedly or continuously engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

The adopted daughter of Dawn French and Lenny Henry Billie Henry, 28, (centre) appeared at Bodmin Magistrates' Court today, supported by French's second husband Mark Bignell (left)

Henry, pictured with her famous parents at Jools Holland's wedding in 2005, is accused of sending and fake text messages including threats of violence to her ex, Samuel King

Henry is accused of sending the texts demanding attention and pretending they were being sent by someone else.

She falsely claimed she was sexually and physically abused 'while engaged in an intimate personal relationship' with Mr King between August 2018 and February 2019, it is alleged.

The charge states that her behaviour had a serious effect on him.

It usually carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison or an unlimited fine but prosecutor Paul Gallagher told the court Henry's alleged offence could potentially lead to a one-year jail term.

He said: 'It is a complex case that involves a large number of downloads. There is unusual complexity and another reason why it should be heard at the Crown Court.'

Henry (arriving at court) denied a charge of repeatedly or continuously engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards Mr King between August 2018 and February 2019, it is alleged

The offence is alleged to have been committed in the village of Dobwalls, near Liskeard, Cornwall, close to the home where Henry was brought up with her TV star parents.

Henry spoke only to give her name and address and confirmed she understood the charge before pleading not guilty.

Vicar of Dibley star French, 62, has spoken before of her strained relationship with Henry

She was represented in court by criminal barrister Jo Martin QC.

Magistrates at Bodmin, Cornwall, freed Henry on bail with the condition that she must not contact Mr King.

Henry, of Plymouth, Devon, is due to appear before Truro Crown Court on Friday December 13. A five-day trial is expected to be held early next year.

Bespectacled Henry, dressed in a denim jacket, patterned top, black leggings and white trainers, declined to comment as she left the court in Mr Bignell's silver Mercedes.

Henry moved out of French's £3m home in the Cornish village of Fowey four years ago but lives just 12 miles away from her mother.

French, 62, went public two years ago about her difficult relationship with her daughter, saying they were in a 'warring' mother and daughter relationship.

The comedy actress said she hoped her daughter, who she adopted with her ex-husband Sir Lenny Henry, would 'get to the other side' of their relationship, after years of difficulty.

The comic actress French's businessman husband Mr Bignell (right) sat in the public gallery during at court the five-minute hearing where Henry pleaded not guilty to harassment

In an interview two years ago she said: 'I expected that if you nurture [a child], like a tomato plant, it grows towards the light, and surely if your mum is someone who wants to have fun with you and have adventures and read with you and spend time with you, how could you ever have a war?

'But I haven't got a kid who wants to read with me and have adventures with me, I've got a different kind of kid who's a different kind of set of challenges and that's been my lesson.

'Our relationship exists in a bizarre kind of process of peacetime, small battles, war.

'The peacetime is much more than the other two energies, but we have our wars.'