London Police Open Investigation Into David Walliams Over Alleged Past Sexual Offences; He Denies Wrongdoing

Britain's Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation into comedian and children's author David Walliams after receiving what the force called "a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences," The Independent reported Friday.

Walliams has denied wrongdoing. After the first allegations against him were published earlier this week, he said in a statement that he is not a sexual predator, Page Six reported. ITV News reported that he has also said he has not broken the law. None of the reports said he has been arrested or charged, and none of the allegations has been tested in court.

The BBC reported that the Met said the allegations it is now investigating are separate from those published earlier this week by ITN, which produces ITV News, and The Guardian. Page Six reported that more alleged victims have come forward since that exposé ran.

The investigation marks a shift for Scotland Yard. Earlier in the week the force said it was aware of media reports involving a man in his 50s, that it had not received any reports of offences, and that it would carefully assess any that came in, and it contacted the news organizations involved so that anyone with information would know how to report it, AOL reported.

The original allegations came from a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian, which reported claims stretching back to 2003 that Walliams pursued teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes. One woman described an encounter when she was 15 as a sexual assault, ITV News reported. Walliams went to court to try to stop publication, but a High Court judge refused his request for an injunction, ruling that blocking the story would be an "exceptionally serious interference" with freedom of expression, according to ITV News.

Downing Street called the allegations deeply troubling, ITV News reported.

Walliams became one of Britain's best-known entertainers as a comedy writer and performer, a longtime judge on the television talent show Britain's Got Talent, and the author of best-selling children's books. Page Six described the week's reporting as accusing him of grooming young women, a claim he rejects.

Detectives will now examine the new complaints. Earlier this week the force told the public that anyone with information could report it through its non-emergency number, 101, AOL reported. In England, any decision on criminal charges would rest with the Crown Prosecution Service. Until then, Walliams is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the women who have come forward are entitled to a full and fair hearing of their accounts.

Allegations involving minors demand that kind of seriousness on both sides: a thorough investigation that protects children and young people, and due process for the accused. We will update this story as the Met releases more information.