Met Police investigate David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences

The Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences, the force announced on Friday.

The Met said it had received a number of allegations of "non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s." The force said the allegations it is investigating are separate from those reported by The Guardian and ITV News, but detectives are proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.

Walliams, 55, was accused in reports by ITV and The Guardian this week of using his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. He has denied any wrongdoing, being a sexual predator or breaking the law.

In a letter addressed to journalists working on the media investigation, Walliams wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with."

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."

Investigation details

The new allegations made to police are understood to have come from several people. Some date back to the 2000s and are described by police as "non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s."

At least some of those who made reports to the police did so this week and had given initial accounts to detectives from the Met’s specialist crime division. Those accounts were enough for the Met to launch a full criminal investigation by detectives specialising in serious and complex sexual offences.

Police declined to detail the alleged offences, or where and when they are alleged to have occurred, saying this was to minimise the chances of the people who had complained being identified. Detectives stressed that those making the allegations were entitled to life-long anonymity.

It is police policy not to name people under investigation. Walliams has not been arrested and is in a medical facility.

Det Supt Mike Cagney, from the Met’s complex sexual offences unit which is leading the 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."

Consequences

Since the allegations were published, Walliams has been dropped by his literary agency, the BBC has begun to remove his programmes from iPlayer and the Labour party has suspended his membership.

The Met said people could report information to police by calling 101 and providing the reference 4900/10NOV26, or by contacting the complex sexual offences unit on 0207 175 2738.

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Sources

• theguardian.com: Police launch investigation into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences | UK news | The Guardian
• hollywoodreporter.com: Police Investigating David Walliams Over Alleged Sexual Offenses
• abc7chicago.com: David Walliams allegations: London, UK police launch sex offense investigation into children's author and comedian - ABC7 Chicago
• rollingstone.com: David Walliams: Police Investigating Sexual Misconduct Allegations
• aa.com.tr: London police investigate British author David Walliams over alleged sexual offenses
• newscord.org: Met Police Launch Investigation Into David Walliams Over Alleged Serious Sexual Offences: 9 outlets compared | NewsCord

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.