Entertainmentupdated 13m ago2 min read
MapDavid Walliams Named After High Court Dismisses Injunction Bid Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations
“Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly”
“He has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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David Walliams named as the celebrity who sought to block publication of sexual misconduct allegations. His injunction bid failed; ITN and Guardian could publish.
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Injunction bid fails
David Walliams was named after he missed a deadline to take his case to the Court of Appeal following a ruling by Mr Justice Nicklin on November 3 that dismissed his bid for an injunction to prevent publication of allegations against him. Court staff confirmed after the deadline that neither a notice of appeal nor requests for further time had been received, and the court said Walliams could not be named until ITN or GNM named him in connection with the allegations.
Lawyers for ITN and Guardian News and Media told the High Court in London that the claims they wanted to report involved the man's alleged "abuse of power and status" to contact young women and try to engage in "inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities". Mr Justice Nicklin said granting the injunction would be an "exceptionally serious interference" with freedom of expression, and the judge added that the evidence did not identify a point where publication would become safe merely through the passage of time.
Government and media responses
The prime minister's official spokesperson told reporters at the daily Downing Street press briefing that the injunction had been lifted and that the individual, David Walliams, had been named.
The spokesperson said the government had not seen "the full extent of the reporting" and added that the allegations were "clearly deeply troubling" and that the government would respond during the course of the day.
Walliams told publications that he denies the allegations, and he wrote in a letter to journalists that "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law".
ITVX said a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and the Guardian revealed allegations dating back to 2003 that Walliams preyed on teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes, and it quoted one woman describing her alleged encounter at 15 as a "sexual assault."
What happens next
The High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin said the state had "assumed responsibility" for Walliams' immediate safety because hospitals and health staff were caring for him under the Mental Health Act, and the judge added that this "materially reduces the likelihood of suicide." The Guardian said Walliams' lawyers confirmed he would not be seeking to appeal against the ruling, allowing the organisations to publish the women’s stories.
Walliams' letter to journalists said he was "devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me," and the Guardian said the allegations were unearthed in a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. ITVX said the investigation was published after Walliams attempted to block it with a High Court injunction, and it described the documentary "David Walliams: Power and Silence" as being watched on ITVX and YouTube.