Met Police investigating David Walliams over reports of alleged sexual offences
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual offences which some readers may find distressing.
The Met Police are investigating alleged sexual offences involving David Walliams.
The force said it had received ‘a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s’ over the last few days.
The Met Police said the allegations received by the force are different to those previously reported by ITN and The Guardian.
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However, it said detectives are also ‘proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.’
An ITN and Guardian investigation revealed complaints of sexual misconduct involving the TV star, who was named after temporary reporting restrictions were lifted.
The reports about Walliams followed his attempts to seek an injunction to prevent the media revealing his identity.
However Judge Mr Justice Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an 'exceptionally serious interference' with freedom of expression.
Walliams, aged 55, has denied wrongdoing and any allegations of criminal activity.
In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago to journalists working on the investigations, Walliams said he recognised he 'behaved thoughtlessly' at times but insisted he had not broken the law.
Commenting on the allegations police had received, Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney said: “We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to come forward and speak to us, no matter when it happened.
“We know reporting allegations of this nature can be daunting but specialist officers are on hand to provide support, answer questions and guide you through the process.”
The Met is yet to confirm how many alleged offences have been reported or what Walliams has been accused of, or when or where the incidents are alleged to have taken place.
LADbible Group has approached Walliams’ reps for comment.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: David Walliams, Celebrity, UK News
James Holt
