UK police launch sex offense investigation into children's author and comedian David Walliams

LONDON -- London police said Friday that they are investigating children's author and comedian David Walliams for serious sexual offenses after news outlets reported that he used his fame to groom girls and young women for sex.

The Metropolitan Police said it had received a number of allegations of abuse in the past after a joint investigation by ITV News and the Guardian newspaper.

One woman in the reports said 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.

Police are investigating different allegations than those reported by the news outlets, but they will look into the news stories for evidence of other crimes.

Walliams, 55, has denied the allegations that were reported, saying he had not broken any laws and was not a sexual predator.

"I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me," Walliams has said in writing to ITV and the Guardian. "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."

Walliams is best known as the co-creator and co-star in "Little Britain," a hugely popular British TV sketch 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 books, including "Gangsta Granny," have been adapted into BBC comedy dramas and stage productions. Producers of "Fing!" — an upcoming film based on Walliams' book — said in a statement Tuesday that they had removed his cameo appearance and that Walliams "will have no involvement in the film's release or promotion." He is credited as a co-writer.

U.K. distributor Sky told Variety it was dropping the movie. Angel Studios, the U.S. distributor, did not answer The Associated Press' emailed query about its plans for the film.

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 that there were concerns about his behavior for years, including an allegation he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior female employee.

He was also a judge for a decade on "Britain's Got Talent," though he stepped down in 2022 after apologizing for making "disrespectful comments" about auditioning contestants.

The news outlets said they spoke to more than 100 people during the three-year investigation.

Walliams had sought a court injunction to prevent the news outlets from identifying him, but a judge rejected the application, saying such a legal measure would mean "an exceptionally serious interference" with the rights of the media companies.

Walliams had claimed that publication of sexual misconduct allegations would lead him to take his own life.

He has not spoken publicly since the story was first reported Tuesday afternoon.

"We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offense to come forward and speak to us, no matter when it happened," Det. Supt. Mike Cagney said.