David Walliams is facing a police investigation after he was accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
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he → face → schoolgirl
The best-selling children’s author, 55, who used an injunction in an attempt to prevent the allegations being made public, is said to have kissed and groped the teenager at his north London home when he was 36.
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he → sell → home
Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that it had contacted The Guardian and ITV following their investigation into Walliams’ alleged offending.
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it → say → offending
The force said it wanted to ensure that potential victims knew they could report any criminal allegations to the police.
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they → say → police
The Telegraph first revealed allegations against Walliams last year, publishing details of how he “harassed” junior female employees at his publisher, HarperCollins.
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he → reveal → publisher
A joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian now alleges inappropriate behaviour and sexual misconduct dating back to 2003.
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investigation → allege → 2003
One woman, named only as Jade, described how Walliams contacted her via social media in 2007, when she was 15.
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she → name → 2007
After arranging to meet her in Soho, central London, and kissing her in an alleyway, he drove her to his house in his Aston Martin before allegedly sexually assaulting her on his sofa.
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he → arrange → sofa
She added: “I struggle with it sometimes, if I think about it a bit too much about the reality of what happened.
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what → add → reality
It’s a sexual assault.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s grooming.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s completely wrong in every way.”
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It → ’ → way
Another woman, named as Alex, described how she met Walliams at a Little Britain event when she was 15 and began having sex with him two years later.
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she → name → him
She said: “My body reacts when I think about it.
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I → say → it
It’s like a trauma response.
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It → ’ → response
I think I was groomed, 100 per cent.”
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I → think → ?
Following the publication of the women’s accounts, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We’re aware of reports in the media in relation to allegations involving a man in his 50s.
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We → follow → 50s
“The Met has not received any related reports of sexual assault or any other offences.
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Met → receive → assault
Should we receive any reports, they will be carefully assessed.
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they → receive → reports
Anyone who contacts the police will be supported by specialist officers.
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who → contact → officers
“Last week, we contacted the media organisations that were involved in civil proceedings relating to the protection of the identity of that individual, to ensure that any potential victims whom they have spoken to could be made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police.
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they → contact → police
While the police have not yet been contacted directly by any of the complainants, the allegations published in the media could result in a criminal investigation as under-16s cannot legally consent to sexual activity.
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under-16s → contact → activity
After the allegations emerged on Tuesday, Walliams was dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group.
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Walliams → emerge → agency
A BBC spokesman said the corporation was in the process of removing some programs, including Little Britain, while it carried out a review of “all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms”.
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it → say → platforms
Walliams also had his Labour Party membership suspended.
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membership → have → ?
The comedian often voiced his support for Labour, including backing Andy Burnham in his 2015 party leadership bid.
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comedian → voice → bid
Downing Street on Tuesday described the allegations as “deeply troubling”.
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Street → describe → allegations
In addition to several allegations of grooming, Walliams has been accused of sexual harassment on the set of Britain’s Got Talent.
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Walliams → accuse → Talent
In total, about 30 women have come forward to make claims against the former Little Britain star, who was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to charity and the arts.
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who → come → charity
Lilly Creightmore, an aspiring model, described how she was 18 when Walliams, then 31, spotted her in an advertising campaign for the underwear brand Agent Provocateur, tracked down her details and contacted her in 2003.
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Walliams → aspire → 2003
She said she stayed at his home and he made it clear he wanted sex, but she always declined.
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she → say → sex
She told the news organisations: “He would plead with me to share a bed with him and paw at me, trying to make me feel sorry for him.
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me → tell → him
“He definitely crossed the line physically in moments when I was young, trying to coerce me into sleeping with him.”
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I → cross → him
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Creightmore claimed she felt pressured to have sex with Mr Walliams after he told her she could be his flatmate.
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she → speak → her
She said: “In the evenings, he would sort of come and sit with me and stroke my leg, and one night I think he put his head in my lap to sort of be like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come and sleep in my bed with me?’
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you → say → me
I had an inner strength like, ‘No I’m not attracted to you in that way’…
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I → have → way
I felt I was being manipulated.”
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I → feel → ?
Ella, another model, said she was aged 19 when she was contacted out of the blue by Walliams in 2007.
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she → say → 2007
After inviting her to his home, he showed her into his bedroom where he tried to kiss her, but she managed to duck out of the way and escape.
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she → invite → way
The Telegraph first revealed concerns about Walliams’s behaviour towards young women last year when an investigation by this newspaper found that he had been accused of harassing junior female employees at HarperCollins.
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he → reveal → HarperCollins
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
