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 denies any wrongdoing.
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 force had not received any reports prior to these allegations.
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 allegedly 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 alleges.
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.
After the allegations emerged on Tuesday, he was also dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group, and the BBC began removing his shows, including Little Britain, from iPlayer.
Mr Walliams denies any wrongdoing.
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