David Walliams sexual misconduct allegations, Digi Mart USA News (London, United Kingdom): TV star and children’s author David Walliams has been accused of “inappropriate sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women,” including “potentially criminal activity.” His identity as the celebrity subject of the allegations, which he denies, can be revealed after he lost a High Court challenge against the Guardian and ITN media outlets, which have published their investigations.
In a High Court ruling last week, Justice Nicklin said the allegations related to Walliams’s “alleged abuse of his power and status as a well-known public figure.” The publishers alleged he used these to “establish contact with young women, who were also considerably younger than him, and engage, and/or seek to engage in inappropriate sexual activity, including potential criminal activity.”
Walliams had sought a permanent injunction to stop publication of the allegations, which the media organizations said included first-hand accounts, involved more than 30 sources and were part of a “wide-ranging and rigorous investigation.” His legal team told the court publication would “highly likely” lead him to kill himself, saying he suffered from “very severe mental health problems.”
Justice Nicklin said in his judgment that “the evidence does not establish that suicide is an inevitable consequence of publication or that psychiatric treatment and containment are incapable of providing substantial protection.” He said an injunction would constitute “an exceptionally serious interference” with the rights of media companies and alleged victims to communicate their experiences to the public.
The court did not determine whether the allegations were true. “The court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true, and the dismissal of the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make,” the ruling stated.
Journalists began their investigation in 2022 after receiving allegations about the claimant’s conduct “in several professional and personal contexts.” The investigation involved speaking to more than 100 people, including those making the allegations as well as friends, colleagues, former partners and relatives. The High Court judgment states the key sources were interviewed repeatedly and the journalists considered contemporaneous messages, emails and other documents.
Walliams has given a “broad denial” of the allegations, according to court documents. He cited Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life, and Article 8, which protects the right to respect for private and family life.
His lead barrister, Sara Mansoori KC, said he first attempted to kill himself in May after the media outlets contacted him to respond to the allegations, and was admitted to hospital that afternoon as a voluntary patient.
The court was also told he made a second attempt to take his own life in July after “absconding from a secure hospital.” Mansoori previously said her client “has no intention of returning to public life,” and court documents show he is currently detained under the Mental Health Act.
Walliams’s book publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025 following an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women. He strongly denies allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Earlier, he left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after apologizing for “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants made during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.
Alton Towers announced this month that it has permanently closed World of David Walliams with immediate effect. The attraction, which opened at the theme park in 2021, drew on characters from his children’s books.
