diff --git a/gst/gstvalue.c b/gst/gstvalue.c
index b406f50123..45cf6b47bb 100644
--- a/gst/gstvalue.c
+++ b/gst/gstvalue.c
@@ -3931,13 +3931,13 @@ gst_string_unwrap (const gchar * s)
         /* if we run into a \0 here, we definitely won't get a quote later */
         if (*read == 0)
           goto beach;
-
         /* else copy \X sequence */
         *write++ = *read++;
       }
-    } else {
-      /* weird character, error */
+    } else if (*read == '\0') {
       goto beach;
+    } else {
+      *write++ = *read++;
     }
   }
   /* if the string is not ending in " and zero terminated, we error */
@@ -3975,6 +3975,10 @@ gst_value_deserialize_string (GValue * dest, const gchar * s)
     gchar *str = gst_string_unwrap (s);
     if (G_UNLIKELY (!str))
       return FALSE;
+    if (!g_utf8_validate (str, -1, NULL)) {
+      g_free (str);
+      return FALSE;
+    }
     g_value_take_string (dest, str);
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/check/gst/gstvalue.c b/tests/check/gst/gstvalue.c
index 3ab8387806..6ded6d27e4 100644
--- a/tests/check/gst/gstvalue.c
+++ b/tests/check/gst/gstvalue.c
@@ -801,21 +801,21 @@ GST_START_TEST (test_deserialize_string)
     "\"Hello\\ World", "\"Hello\\ World"}, {
     "\"\\", "\"\\"}, {
     "\"\\0", "\"\\0"}, {
+    "\"t\\303\\274t\"", "tüt"}, {
+      /* utf8 octal sequence */
     "", ""},                    /* empty strings */
     {
-    "\"\"", ""},                /* quoted empty string -> empty string */
+    "\"\"", ""}, {              /* quoted empty string -> empty string */
+    "\" \"", " "}, {            /* allow spaces to be not escaped */
+    "tüüt", "tüüt"},        /* allow special chars to be not escaped */
         /* Expected FAILURES: */
     {
-    "\"\\0\"", NULL},           /* unfinished escaped character */
-    {
-    "\"", NULL},                /* solitary quote */
-    {
-    "\" \"", NULL},             /* spaces must be escaped */
-#if 0
-        /* FIXME 0.9: this test should fail, but it doesn't */
-    {
-    "tüüt", NULL}             /* string with special chars must be escaped */
-#endif
+    "\"\\0\"", NULL}, {         /* unfinished escaped character */
+    "\"", NULL}, {              /* solitary quote */
+    "\"\\380\"", NULL}, {       /* invalid octal sequence */
+    "\"\\344\\204\\062\"", NULL}, {
+      /* invalid utf8: wrong end byte */
+    "\"\\344\\204\"", NULL}     /* invalid utf8: wrong number of bytes */
   };
   guint i;
   GValue v = { 0, };