Anonymous celebrity in sexual misconduct scandal is named after failed bid to conceal his identity
David Walliams has been identified as the “suicidal” celeb accused of sexual misconduct trying to stop publications from revealing his name.
The comedian has previously threatened to take his own life if his identity was revealed by the media, as The Guardian did Tuesday morning.
According to the outlet, the bestselling children’s book author is being accused by multiple women of using his status to groom them for sex.
Two of the accusers, now in their 30s, claim they first met the former “Britain’s Got Talent” judge at 15.
Walliams denied being a “sexual predator” in a statement to the outlet, writing, “Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.
“And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something I never did,” he continued. “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, notably, was seeking an injunction against Independent Television News (ITN) as well as Guardian News and Media, who wanted to publish the allegations along with his name, but he lost his bid on Nov. 3 when the judge ruled he can be named.
The celebrity was accused of “abus[ing] power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities.”
“The claim brought by the claimant is dismissed and the application for the injunction is refused,” Mr. Justice Nicklin told the London High Court.
Initially though, Nicklin had put forth an interim injunction which protected his anonymity while he and his legal team decided whether to appeal.
His legal team told the court their client was not well enough to make a decision on whether to appeal.
During the proceedings, his attorney, Sara Mansoori KC, argued that if her client’s name was published, he would try take to take his own life, as he already attempted to do so twice before.
She told the court, “The only reason they would not be fatal is because the claimant would be locked up and prevented from his desire to end his life.”
“The claimant has attempted suicide twice as a result of these matters, been hospitalized for months, been the subject of involuntary detention and been examined by multiple – now more than 10 – doctors.”
Mansoori also said that while the claimant denies the allegations, he “has no intention of returning to public life.”
As for ITN and GNM, their attorney argued that “the obligation falls on the hospital to keep him safe,” not the media organizations.
He also argued that his alleged victims who have come forward “have been traumatized by the claimant’s alleged conduct and have suffered mental health crises and mental illness as a result.”
