Police launch criminal investigation into David Walliams after fresh allegations

Police are investigating a series of allegations of “non-recent serious sexual offences” against David Walliams.

The Metropolitan Police said the allegations it had received in recent days were separate to those reported about the comedian and author, 55, in the ITV News and The Guardian investigation published earlier this week.

The Met said as part of its probe, detectives are also proactively reviewing the allegations made in the media to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “In recent days, the Met has received a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s.

“Those who have come forward are being supported by specialist officers.”

David Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct and abusing his power to groom teenagers as young as 15 (Steve Parsons/PA)

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The Met is yet to confirm how many alleged offences have been reported to it or what Walliams has been accused of.

Police have also not confirmed when or where the incidents are alleged to have taken place.

In a letter sent to journalists working on the media investigation, the television personality denied being a “sexual predator”.

He said he recognised he “behaved thoughtlessly” at times, and regretted not taking people’s feelings “properly into account”, but insisted he had not broken the law.

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.

Several sources alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women at the prime-time show BGT, where Walliams served as a judge from 2012 to 2022, and at his publisher HarperCollins, which dropped him last year.

The allegations have led to Walliams also being dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group, while the BBC started to remove his programmes, including Little Britain, from iPlayer, and his Labour Party membership was suspended.

Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, whose team is leading the police investigation, 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."

Police said anyone who wishes to report information to police can do so by calling 101, providing the reference 4900/10NOV26, or by contacting the Complex Sexual Offences Unit directly on 0207 175 2738.