London police open investigation into sex offence allegations against comedian David Walliams

London's Metropolitan Police (the Met) said on Friday that they have opened an investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences, after media reports accused British comedian and children's author David Walliams, 55, of grooming and sexually abusing girls and young women. Walliams denies the allegations.

The force said it had received a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s. Met Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney urged anyone affected to come forward. Police stressed that the new allegations are separate from those reported this week by ITV News and The Guardian.

The media reports

ITV News and The Guardian published reports on Tuesday in which several women accuse Walliams of sexual misconduct, with allegations dating back as far as 2003. The outlets said they spoke to more than 100 people during a three-year investigation. One woman said he sexually assaulted her at his London home when she was 15, while others accused him of grooming them as teenagers. The reports also included claims that he harassed young female colleagues.

In a letter to ITV and The Guardian, he wrote that a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, but abusing that power is something else entirely, which he said he never did. He also said he is not a sexual predator and has not broken the law.

The reports were published after Walliams lost a High Court bid to block the outlets from naming him. Judge Matthew Nicklin said an injunction would be an exceptionally serious interference with the media's rights. The reports came a day after comedian Russell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in jail for rape and sexual assault.

Professional fallout

A BBC spokesperson told the AFP news agency that the broadcaster had taken down some shows involving Walliams, including all episodes of Little Britain, the sketch show that made him famous. His literary agency, Independent Talent Group, said it was no longer representing him in any capacity. His publisher, HarperCollins, dropped him last year following accusations that he harassed female staff, which he also denied.

Walliams rose to fame with the sketch shows Little Britain and Come Fly With Me and was a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent. His children's books, including Mr Stink, Gangsta Granny and The Boy in the Dress, have reportedly sold more than 50 million copies.