David Walliams Being Investigated for ‘Serious Sexual Offences’ by Police

David Walliams is being investigated for “serious sexual offences,” the Metropolitan Police confirmed Friday.

Walliams, a comedian and former “Britain’s Got Talent” judge, was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl in a Guardian article earlier this week. The investigation, published in conjunction with an ITV News documentary, also accused Walliams of “grooming” young fans and sexual harassment. He has denied all the allegations.

Earlier this month Walliams attempted to get an injunction to prevent the two news organizations from publishing the story, claiming publishing the allegations would prompt him to commit suicide, but a judge denied the application.

The Met said it has since received “a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s.”

“The allegations are separate from those reported by ITN and The Guardian,” the force said in a statement. “However, as part of their investigation, detectives are also proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.”

“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,” said Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, whose team is leading the investigation. “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.”