Celebrity3 min(s) read
David Walliams responds as he’s named as UK celebrity accused of ‘preying on young women for sex’
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A statement from David Walliams has been released after he was named as the "well-known" celebrity accused of sexual misconduct.
As previously reported, Walliams, 55, was revealed to be the celebrity who'd previously filed an injunction to prevent being named.
The former Little Britain, Britain’s Got Talent, and Come Fly with Me star has been accused of using his ‘power and status’ in order to exploit women for sex. He denies all the allegations.
He had until 4:30PM UK time on Monday to appeal a court’s ruling that would allow for his name to be published, but that deadline elapsed without a notice of appeal or request for more time.
It had been argued by defendants The Guardian and ITN that it was in the public interest to name the individual at the center of the allegations, which include alleged "inappropriate sexual activities" with a significant number of women and girls.
Court documents also show that there is ‘potential criminal activity’ involved in the allegations.
After the news broke, a statement from Walliams was shared by the Guardian, in which he said: "Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.
"I realize I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.
"And 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."
The statement adds: "I am not a sexual predator. 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."
Walliams had initially obtained the injunction after his lawyers argued that it would be "highly likely" that he would die by suicide if the publication or broadcast of the allegations against him was allowed.
However, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the evidence submitted to support that did "not establish that suicide is an inevitable consequence of publication".
He added that such an injunction would "constitute an exceptionally serious interference" with media companies’ right to publish "results of their investigations into allegations of serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual."
Judge Nicklin dismissed the claims made by Walliams, but did add: "The court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true, and the dismissal of the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make.”
That will be decided later, if charges are brought.
Representing the celebrity - who at the time could only be named as PPT - Sara Mansoori KC said that her client was in a ‘highly vulnerable position’ and ‘making the allegations public’ could have a ‘potentially fatal impact’.
Reports later stated that the celebrity had been admitted to a psychiatric facility voluntarily on the same day that he received the letters from the media outlets regarding the alleged misconduct.
His legal representatives had argued that the allegations, which were across 278 numbered points with a short response deadline, had directly contributed to his immediate mental health crisis.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. In the US, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. In the UK, contact Samaritans on 116 123 or email [email protected].