A man who is accused of destroying Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been charged with vandalism.

James Otis is accused of using a pick axe and sledgehammer to smash the star and faces up to three years in prison or a $10,000 (£8,071) if convicted.

The 52-year-old allegedly removed a brass medallion from the middle of the star during the attack on 26 October, two weeks before Mr Trump won the election.

He was arrested soon after and said he would be happy to pay for the repairs.

Image: James Otis speaks to the media after his arrest in October

According to US entertainment news site TMZ, Otis had planned to remove the star to auction and raise funds for women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual assault, something he vehemently denies.


Otis is charged with one count of vandalism for causing more than $400 (£332) in damage and is due to appear in court in Los Angeles on Friday.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

A video posted online last month showed his star on Hollywood Boulevard had been smashed to pieces and his name removed from it.

Image: The damaged star has since been repaired

At the time, Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said: "The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an institution celebrating the positive contributions of the inductees.

"When people are unhappy with one of our honourees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalise a California State landmark.

"Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property."

The star, given to the tycooon in 2007 for his work on the reality show The Apprentice, has since been repaired.

It has been repeatedly targeted in recent months following his controversial comments about banning Muslims from entering the US and building a wall on the US-Mexico border.