Crossword Genius

Offence by Charlie before becoming genuine (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sincere

'genuine' is the definition.
('sincere' can be a synonym of 'genuine')

'offence by charlie before' is the wordplay.
'offence' becomes 'sin' (I've seen this before).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'charlie' becomes 'c' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'before' becomes 'ere' (usually literary).
'sin'+'c'+'ere'='SINCERE'

'becoming' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for sincere that I've seen before include "natural?" , "Lacking in deceit" , "like informal correspondents?" , "Open and genuine, not deceitful" , "Genuine; deceit-free" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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