Prisoner star Maggie Kirkpatrick on child abuse charges

Maggie Kirkpatrick played prison officer Joan "The Freak" Ferguson in 1980s TV show Prisoner. Photo / Screengrab

An Australian television star has been accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl.

Maggie Kirkpatrick, best known for portraying prison officer Joan "The Freak" Ferguson in 1980s TV show Prisoner, has been charged with child sex offences and will face court in August, according to News Corp.

Victoria Police confirmed "a 74-year-old NSW woman has been charged with two counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency with a person under the age of 16".

The veteran actress - also famed for her roles in Hey Dad!, Home and Away and All Saints - has reportedly denied the allegations of abuse and will fight the charges.

"I need to go to court to have this ridiculous situation quashed," Kirkpatrick told News Corp. "Allegations have been levelled at me, yes. Are they true? Absolutely not."

News Corp claimed the charges were in connection to an incident in the 1980s involving a 13-year-old female victim. Victoria Police said the accused would face court at the Melbourne's Magistrates' Court on August 19.

Kirkpatrick, now 74, is a mother-of-one from her 16-year marriage to Norman Kirkpatrick, which ended in divorce in 1979. She remains a active theatre-performer and is based in Sydney.

In May 2014, Australian TV legend Robert Hughes was convicted of 10 sexual and indecent assault charges after he was found guilty of abusing five girls who were then between the ages of seven and 15.

The Hey Dad! star was ordered to serve at least six years in jail for his crimes.

Just one month later, in June 2014, Australian entertainer Rolf Harris was found guilty of indecently assaulting four girls in the UK between 1968 and 1986.

The then-84 year old was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars.

- Daily Mail