The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation after the force received “a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences” against David Walliams.
The accusations are separate to those reported by ITV and the Guardian earlier this week. A statement from the force 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.
“The allegations are separate from those reported by ITN and The Guardian. However, as part of their investigation, detectives are also proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.”
It is understood the force had not received any reports prior to these allegations.
Police urge victims to come forward
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, the head of the team 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.
“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.”
It comes after David Walliams has been accused of preying on girls as young as 15. Multiple women have accused the TV star, 55, of sexually inappropriate behaviour and grooming including when they were teenagers.
The allegations extend to Walliams' conduct in the workplace, with several sources describing inappropriate behaviour towards women behind the scenes of Britain’s Got Talent and at his former publisher HarperCollins.
Injunction bid dismissed
Walliams asked the High Court in London to permanently prevent ITN and the Guardian from publishing his identity and the allegations. However, the bid for an injunction was denied last week. Walliams brought legal action against the two news organisations.
Lawyers for the TV personality, who denies the allegations, argued that he would be at risk of taking his own life after two previous suicide attempts. But in a ruling on November 3, judge Justice Nicklin dismissed the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression.
The judge said Williams could take his case to the Court of Appeal, however, the deadline to do so was missed on Monday, November 9.
Walliams responds to allegations
The news outlets say they have interviewed more than 100 people with knowledge of the celebrity’s alleged misconduct, including 30 with "first-hand" accounts.
In a letter to journalists working on the ITV and the Guardian investigation, Walliams 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.
"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.”
