David Walliams, who rose to fame working alongside Matt Lucas on the BBC comedy sketch series Little Britain, has insisted he is “not a sexual predator” after allegations emerged
Police have taken steps “to ensure that any potential victims” are “made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police” after claims of sexual misconduct were made against David Walliams today.
It as emerged Walliams, 55, allegedly abused his power and position for sexual purposes on a multiple occasions with teenagers as young as 15 at the height of his fame. He has been dropped by his literary agency and the BBC is “in the process of removing” programmes including Little Britain.
Walliams, whose Little Britain series ran on TV from 2003 to 2006, was named as part of an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News after he tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations. The comedian, though, denies any wrongdoing.
But now the Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has contacted both the Guardian and ITV News to make sure any potential victims know how to report any criminal allegations to officers. All the alleged offences featuring in documentary are said to have happened in Walliams’ £10.5million home in north London, which he has now put on the market.
One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams, when she was 15, as a “sexual assault” while multiple women accused him of “grooming” them when they were teenagers.
The best-selling author and former Britain’s Got Talent judge had tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him but lost this battle last week. He was allowed to be named today and, after which, Labour suspended him as a party member.
But Walliams, born in Wimbledon, southwest London, has not been arrested or charged with anything. The dad of one has yet to respond following the publication of his name on Tuesday but denies any wrongdoing.
The Metropolitan Police said it has contacted the Guardian and ITV News to “to ensure that any potential victims” are “made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police”, after claims of sexual misconduct were made against David Walliams.
A Met spokesperson said: “We’re aware of reports in the media in relation to allegations involving a man in his 50s.
“The Met has not received any related reports of sexual assault or any other offences. Should we receive any reports, they will be carefully assessed. Anyone who contacts the police will be supported by specialist officers.
“Last week, we contacted the media organisations that were involved in civil proceedings relating to the protection of the identity of that individual, to ensure that any potential victims who they have spoken to could be made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police. Reports can be made by calling 101, providing the reference 4900/10NOV26.”
In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago by Walliams to journalists working on the ITV News and Guardian investigations, he wrote: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with. I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.
“And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”
He added: “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
Walliams has published several childrens’ books since 2013, including The Creature Choir in 2019. A spokesperson for Independent Talent Group (ITG), Walliams’ long-time literary agency, said: “ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams.
“Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We are no longer representing him in any capacity.”
It is understood the company suspended Walliams ahead of publication by the news organisations and terminated its relationship with him after the investigations were made public.
The BBC said it is carrying out a review of “all material” featuring and written by Walliams on its platforms. A BBC spokesperson said: “These are serious allegations. As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms. We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, whilst this review is under way.”
Walliams rose to fame working alongside Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain, which ran from 2003 until 2006.They then created and starred in Come Fly With Me, which aired on the BBC for one season in 2010.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
