London’s Metropolitan Police opened a formal inquiry into entertainer and children’s author David Walliams on Friday following multiple allegations of non-recent sexual offences.
Scotland Yard confirmed detectives received several separate complaints in recent days accusing the 55-year-old former television personality of grooming teenage girls and young women. The complaints under active review run alongside documented allegations that Walliams sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl at his London residence and pursued underage girls over a span of two decades. Walliams categorically denied the accusations, insisting he never broke the law and is not a sexual predator.
Police moved quickly.
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, leading the inquiry for the Metropolitan Police, confirmed officers are scrutinising public investigative findings to identify further potential offences while evaluating complaints logged directly with the force.
Cagney appealed directly to the public for information:
Anyone who has experienced a sexual offence should contact police, regardless of when it occurred. Specialist officers are available to support complainants throughout the process.
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, Metropolitan Police
Walliams rejected the allegations in a written statement, claiming he felt gutted by the claims emerging from his past.
“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 stated, adding that he was devastated that women he met a decade or two ago now harboured hurt or anger toward him.
Police have not placed Walliams under arrest. No formal charges have been filed in court.
The police inquiry follows a failed legal bid by Walliams to muzzle publication of the findings.
Hearing the case in London, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin threw out Walliams' application for an injunction. Walliams’ legal team argued that publication posed an acute threat to his life, presenting evidence from a jointly appointed medical expert who concluded that public disclosure would severely endanger his mental health following two previous suicide attempts.
Judge Nicklin rejected the plea outright. Blocking the investigative reporting would constitute an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression, the judge ruled, clarifying that the court was assessing the legal bar for prior restraint rather than determining the ultimate veracity of the accusations.
The legal defeat triggered swift institutional collapse across Walliams' commercial empire.
Publisher HarperCollins terminated its relationship with the multi-million-selling children’s author last year after allegations of inappropriate conduct first surfaced, and his literary agency severed ties shortly after. The AirNews began stripping his programmes—most notably the flagship sketch show Little Britain—from its iPlayer streaming catalog. The Labour Party suspended his party membership pending the outcome of police enquiries.
| Case Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Subject of Inquiry | David Walliams, 55 |
| Investigating Agency | Metropolitan Police Service |
| Investigating Lead | Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney |
| Nature of Allegations | Non-recent sexual offences, grooming of minors |
| Current Legal Posture | Under active police investigation; no formal charges filed |
| Judicial Status | High Court dismissed injunction application (Mr Justice Nicklin presiding) |
Scotland Yard said its investigation remains active, with specialist detectives continuing to review witness submissions and interview complainants.
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| Corporate Fallout | Dropped by HarperCollins; AirNews pulling programming; Labour membership suspended |