British Comedian And Children's Author David Walliams Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

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Walliams unsuccessfully sought a court injunction to bar two news outlets from identifying him, claiming that publication of sexual misconduct allegations would lead him to take his own life.

LONDON (AP) — British children’s author and comedian David Walliams used his fame to groom girls and young women for sex, two British news outlets reported on Tuesday.

ITV News and the Guardian newspaper said their joint investigation featured interviews with multiple women who gave firsthand accounts of Walliams’ conduct. One woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by Walliams at his London home when she was 15, while others accused him of grooming them when they were teens.

Walliams, 55, denied the allegations. He unsuccessfully sought a court injunction to bar the news outlets from identifying him, claiming that publication of sexual misconduct allegations would lead him to take his own life.

The court fight delayed publication for months, but a judge rejected his injunction request last week and the protection of his identity expired late Monday.

“I am not a sexual predator,” Walliams said in a letter to the news organizations. “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.”

“Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did,” he added.

Walliams is best known for comedy sketches on “Little Britain,” a hugely popular British TV show in the 2000s, but he’s also a celebrated children’s book author with some 40 published titles that sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, according to his website.

Several of them, including “Gangsta Granny,” have been adapted into BBC comedy dramas and stage productions.

Walliams was dropped last year by publisher HarperCollins after allegations were made of inappropriate behavior. Few details were published at the time, but the Guardian reported Tuesday that there were concerns about his behavior for years, including an allegation that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior female employee.

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