David Walliams investigated by Met Police over alleged sexual offences - The Independent

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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 complaints to police came after the comedian and children’s author was unmasked as the celebrity who failed to gag reports accusing him of preying on teenage girls as young as 15.

Multiple women accused the Little Britain star of sexual misconduct in an investigation published by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday, alleging he used his fame to prey on them for sexual purposes.

Mr Walliams, 55, denies any wrongdoing and his lawyers took a case to the High Court to try to stop the accusations being published.

Several allegations have been made to police in the aftermath of the reporting but they are separate to those uncovered by the news outlets, the Met confirmed.

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.”

The Met is yet to confirm how many alleged offences have been reported, what the accusations are and when or where the incidents are alleged to have taken place.

Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, the head of the team leading the investigation, urged any victims to come forward.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

One woman, named by ITV News and The Guardian as Jade, claimed she was 15 when Mr Walliams contacted her out of the blue on MySpace in 2007. The comic, then 36, later invited her to his £3.2m London townhouse where he sexually assaulted her, she alleged.

She claimed what happened to her there was “sexual assault” and “grooming”, adding: “It’s completely wrong in every way.”

Mr Walliams strongly denied to the publications that he had any sexual contact with Jade, adding that he rejects any allegations of criminal activity and he has never engaged in the grooming of young women.

Another woman, named by the news organisations as Alex, alleged she was 15 and studying for her GCSEs when Mr Walliams telephoned her in 2004 after she had shared some of her scripts with him at a fan event a few days earlier. They stayed in contact and she started having sex with Mr Walliams when she was 17, she claimed.

Asked how she feels about him now, she said: “I think I was groomed. 100 per cent.”

Mr Walliams told the publications he believed she was 18 at the time they had sex. His lawyers say the suggestion he groomed Alex is false and has caused him significant distress.

In an emphatic denial, Mr Walliams told the publications he is “devastated” that allegations have been brought against him. 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.”

Mr Walliams had brought legal action against the news outlet’s publishers, Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), but failed to get an injunction to stop the reporting because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.

Judge Mr Justice Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression.

After the allegations were published, the former Britain’s Got Talent judge was dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group, and the BBC began removing his shows, including Little Britain, from iPlayer. His Labour Party membership was also suspended.

His publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025 after an investigation into allegations that he had “harassed” young women, which Mr Walliams denied. The eponymous Alton Towers attraction inspired by his bestselling children’s books was permanently closed earlier this month.

Mr Walliams did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment following the publication of his name on Tuesday.

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