Police Investigate Comedian and Children’s Author David Walliams Over Sexual Assault Allegations
London police are investigating British comedian and children’s author David Walliams over allegations of serious sexual assaults, the Metropolitan Police announced on Friday.
Investigators received tips regarding suspected incidents that reportedly occurred some time ago, according to ORF.at.
The Metropolitan Police stated that these inquiries do not involve the exact same allegations recently published by the newspaper The Guardian and television broadcaster ITV. Officers are examining those separate reports as well to determine whether they contain evidence of criminal offenses, ORF.at reported.
Walliams denies any wrongdoing. In a statement published by The Guardian after he unsuccessfully tried to block publication through court action, he maintained that he is not a sexual exploiter. “I am not a sexual exploiter,” Walliams said in the statement, adding that in hindsight he realizes he was sometimes thoughtless in casual sexual relationships.
The 55-year-old entertainer rose to fame co-creating the satirical sketch show Little Britain and later established himself as a prolific children’s writer with titles such as The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Granny, according to ORF.at. Following the police announcement and media investigations, the BBC pulled several programs featuring Walliams from its platforms and initiated a broader content review.
Publisher HarperCollins UK announced it will no longer publish new books by Walliams, and the Labour Party suspended him as a member, according to ORF.at. Kurier reported that multiple women and girls have come forward with allegations.
One woman using the pseudonym Alex told The Guardian and ITV News that Walliams contacted her when she was 15 years old after she left her contact details at a fan event, initiating a relationship that became sexual when she turned 17. “I think I was 100 percent manipulated,” Alex told Kurier. “He exploited that power.”
Another woman identified as Jade said that Walliams reached out via social media when she was 15, invited her to his home, and performed sexual acts, according to Kurier. Kurier reported that in 2016, a law firm hired by Walliams threatened a 19-year-old with legal action if she spoke about him.
Walliams’ legal representatives told The Guardian that he believed Alex was 18 at the time and that their brief relationship was consensual, while denying that he ever groomed young women or had sexual contact with Jade.
Walliams stated in his letter to journalists, “I realize that I have never broken the law, but I am deeply upset that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago now express hurt or anger toward me.”
During a session in the House of Commons, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Alex Davies-Jones addressed the misuse of privacy injunctions by legal representation, stating that the government remains concerned about their increasing use and is examining potential regulatory responses, Kurier reported.