Met police open criminal investigation into David Walliams allegations

The Met confirmed the probe in a statement, saying it had received a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s. Those who came forward are being supported by specialist officers. The force said the allegations it is investigating are separate from those published by ITN and the Guardian, though detectives are proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences.

The allegations became public after a court rejected a legal attempt by Walliams aimed at blocking publication. According to reports by the Guardian and ITV News, multiple women have accused him of using his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. Walliams has denied any wrongdoing.

Det Supt Mike Cagney, whose team is leading the investigation, urged victims to come forward regardless of when an offence happened. He said reporting such allegations can be daunting, but that specialist officers are available to provide support, answer questions and guide people through the process. The Met asked anyone with information to call 101 quoting reference 4900/10NOV26, or to contact its complex sexual offences unit on 0207 175 2738.

In a letter to journalists working on the media investigation, Walliams acknowledged behaving thoughtlessly at times towards people he had casual sexual relationships with. He wrote that he did not always properly consider people's feelings and regrets it, adding that while a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and something he never did. He also said he is devastated that some of the women he met 10 to 20 years ago have expressed hurt or anger towards him.

Walliams is one of Britain's best-known television personalities and a top-selling children's author.