Comedian David Walliams accused of sexual misconduct involving minor girls

Résumé détaillé

British comedian and bestselling author David Walliams faces serious allegations of sexual misconduct involving minor girls, which he denies while expressing concern over his…

Two media groups named British comedian and bestselling children's author David Walliams on Tuesday as the high-profile figure who had tried to prevent allegations of sexual misconduct being published by saying he would take his own life if they were revealed.

The Guardian and ITV News said that Walliams, formerly a judge on music mogul Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent television show, had sought an injunction against the newspaper and the broadcaster ITN, which produces ITV News.

Walliams, who has sold more than 60 million books, had sought to block publication of the allegations, which he denies, primarily on the grounds that he would again attempt suicide if they were made public.

Reporting on the investigation on Tuesday, the Guardian said multiple women had accused Walliams of abusing his "power and position as a celebrity to prey on them for sexual purposes when they were teenagers or young women".

Reuters could not independently confirm the allegations, and a lawyer for Walliams did not reply to repeated Reuters requests for comment.

The Guardian said Walliams had written a personal letter to the investigating journalists, denying abusing his position of power.

"I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with ..." he wrote.

"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."

The High Court in London on November 3 rejected the application for an injunction, which had been based on arguments about Walliams' right to life and right to freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment. The court did not name him, however.

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