Criminal lawyer Liam Kotrie has sparked a backlash on TalkTV after defending David Walliams, saying the comedian's life has been "destroyed" by sexual misconduct allegations, even though he has not been proven guilty.
Speaking with presenter Peter Cardwell and a fellow guest on Wednesday, Kotrie said: "These are just allegations." He noted that some of the accusations are classed as crimes and that the women involved could report them to the police.
Lawyer says allegations are not proof of guilt
Kotrie said: "These women can go to the police; they do have that option. I'm not saying they shouldn't speak to journalists; they're free to do so, and I didn't even mention free speech, and that's an incredibly important part of our society. But this man's life has now been destroyed."
He added: "It wasn't up to the judge to decide whether or not he's guilty, but the judge will have known - through no fault of their own - that as soon as that man's name is published, that man's career is ruined. It's completely in tatters. And the stakes are very high for someone like that."
Viewers react angrily on social media
Walliams, who is reportedly staying at a psychiatric hospital, was named as the celebrity who attempted to block The Guardian and ITN's joint investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Viewers were not happy on social media. One fumed: "Girls were allegedly made to sign NDAs, career crash or not he needs to face the law. When a man is wielding this fame & power it is often the case that it has to begin this way. Women don’t feel they can go to the police."
Another echoed: "Well he wasn’t too keen to prove his innocence in the public square was he?" A third posted: "It's trial by TalkSH***."
Walliams denies being a sexual predator
The 55-year-old, who was last spotted in London in October, has been accused of sexual assault, grooming, and harassment in the workplace. Responding to The Guardian and ITN's investigation, which includes accounts from two women who allegedly met Walliams when they were 15, he said: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with."
He added: "And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely, and it is something I never did."
"I am not a sexual predator," the Little Britain star concluded. "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."
Just hours after the allegations were published on Tuesday, Walliams' representatives at Independent Talent Group announced they had cut ties with the actor. The BBC also removed Walliams' comedy shows, Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, from iPlayer.
Last week, Walliams' legal team argued that the BGT star, who had already made two suicide attempts, was at risk of taking his own life should the allegations be made public. A judge subsequently denied Walliams' request for an injunction as the investigation "concerns matters of substantial public interest".
