Murray, 69 - who played corrupt Det Sgt Don Beech in The Bill and EastEnders villain Johnny Allen - was arrested after a 999 call to second wife Elaine's £700,000 penthouse flat.

Murray and Elaine, 61, had been out drinking before an argument erupted.

Dust-up dad ... Billy Murray with daughter Lizzie

Sources said their singer daughter Lizzie, 27, stepped in to defend her mum but was allegedly hit. The couple's other daughter, ex-Hustle star Jaime Murray, 34, was not involved in the incident in Chigwell, Essex.

Murray - currently fronting TV ads for personal accident firm Injury Lawyers 4U - was taken away by cops. He was later charged with two counts of common assault by beating.

At her home, Elaine confirmed an incident had taken place, and she did not know Murray had been charged. She said: "I don't want to talk about it." A spokesman for Murray added: "We are unavailable for comment."

Police said: "We can confirm a 69-year-old man from London was arrested in Chigwell in the early hours of April 7. He has been charged with two counts of common assault. He will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on May 6."

Speaking in 2004 of his marriage to hypnotherapist Elaine, Murray said: "We've had our rough patches, that's well-known. I think she'd like to get me on the couch sometimes and zap me into the 21st century.

"But I'm an old-fashioned man with old-fashioned values and that's never going to happen."

Murray lives in a £450,000 riverside flat in the Isle of Dogs, East London - 12 miles from his wife and daughter's home.

DIRECTOR of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer QC yesterday warned women are more at risk of violence in their own homes than anywhere else.

a.france@the-sun.co.uk

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3524498/TV-star-Billy-Murray-beat-up-wife-daughter.html

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