David Walliams has been identified as the unnamed celebrity who attempted to block The Guardian and ITN from publishing allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. The three-year joint investigation claims Walliams preyed on teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes, with one woman describing an alleged encounter at age 15 as a "sexual assault."
Allegations of Grooming
Multiple women accuse the author of "grooming" them as teenagers. One claimed Walliams, now 55, began contacting her when she was 15 after meeting her at a Little Britain fan event, before starting a sexual relationship when she was 17.
The investigation found Walliams had been in contact with a schoolgirl, given the pseudonym Jade, in 2007. After she commented on a photo of the star from her MySpace account, where her date of birth was visible, she allegedly received a private message from Walliams but ignored it until he messaged her again.
Alleged Encounter
In an ITV documentary about the probe, Jade said: "You get this celebrity approaching you; that's a whole different level of attention. Then you think, I must be a bit special in a way."
After "chit-chat" progressed to email conversations, the pair arranged to meet in a London cafe shortly after Walliams' 36th birthday. Jade shared: "I was very, very shy; I was quite quiet. So, it was a lot of him asking questions. It was a bit about school, but it wasn't long until he asked me if I'd ever had sex before. I said I hadn't. I didn't like talking about that sort of stuff."
Jade said they then headed to an "alleyway" to say goodbye, where he allegedly kissed her. She recalled: "His tongue was used. I don't want to use the word aggressive, but he was quite… he was excited," before inviting her to his house.
Denial and Context
Walliams has denied any wrongdoing and stated: "I am not a sexual predator... I have not broken the law." At the time, he was at the peak of his stardom with Little Britain, having just won the Pride of Britain Award as Britain's Most Influential Public Figure after raising more than £1 million for Sport Relief by swimming the English Channel.
According to ITV, the women, who do not know one another, all allege they were targets of his unwanted sexual advances. If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
