David Walliams accused of ‘sexually exploiting young women’ after injunction fails

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 to the allegations, which he denies, can be revealed after he lost a High Court challenge against the Guardian and ITN media outlets. The outlets have published their investigations today. In a High Court ruling last week, judge Justice Nicklin said the allegations which the media outlets propose to publish related to Walliams’s “alleged abuse of his power and status as a well known public figure”. He used these, the publishers alleged, 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”, the High Court ruling shows. Walliams had sought a permanent injunction to stop publication of allegations which the media organisations said included first hand-accounts, involved more than 30 sources and were part of a “wide-ranging and rigorous investigation”. Walliams’s legal team had told the High Court publication of the accusations would “highly likely” lead him to kill himself. His lawyers said he suffered from “very severe mental health problems” and the “drastic effect” publication could have on him was not due to guilt of wrongdoing, but shame from childhood trauma and fear of trial by media. But 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 to publish “allegations of serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual” and alleged victims to “communicate their experiences to the public”. ‘Abuse of power and sexual misconduct’ Whether the allegations made against Walliams are true or not was not a matter for the judge in these proceedings to determine. “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 court ruling stated. But the ruling, published last week, includes details from the publishers about the allegations. The court ruling said the “proposed publications concern serious allegations about the conduct of a prominent person, the alleged use of status and power and the treatment of women and girls over a substantial period.” The court judgment later added: “The subject matter includes alleged abuse of power, sexual misconduct and inappropriate conduct towards younger or vulnerable persons.” Journalists started their investigation in 2022 after receiving allegations about the claimant’s conduct “in several professional and personal contexts”, the ruling states. The allegation concerned the celebrity’s “conduct towards junior female employees” in a workplace. The investigation is based on speaking to more than 100 people. As well as those making the allegations, it includes “friends, colleagues, former partners, relatives and others who might corroborate or contradict their accounts”. “The key sources were interviewed repeatedly, and the journalists considered contemporaneous messages, emails and other documents,” the High Court judgment states. Why the injunction was refused Walliams has given a “broad denial” of the allegations, court documents show. He sought a permanent injunction to block the Guardian and ITN from publishing material featuring the accusations, including a documentary and several articles. The former comedian cited Article 2 of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) – which protects the right to life – and Article 8 – which protects the right to respect for private and family life. Sara Mansoori KC, Walliams’s lead barrister, said he first attempted to kill himself in May after he was contacted by the media outlets to respond to the allegations before publication. Walliams was admitted to hospital that afternoon as a voluntary patient, the court heard. The court was also told he made a second attempt to take his own life in July after “absconding from a secure hospital”. Walliams, who did not submit a witness statement in his own name, also expressed concern his relationship with his son would be “lost or seriously damaged” by publication of the allegations, according to a recorded discussion with his solicitor. Justice Nicklin said Walliams’s claims that he intends to take his own life must be taken seriously and carry “very substantial weight”. But they did not establish that suicide is inevitable, and he concluded that the evidence establishes that the hospital can provide significant protection. He also said an injunction “would constitute an exceptionally serious interference” with the rights of media companies to publish the “results of their investigations into allegations of serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual”. It would also “prevent the sources whose accounts form part of those investigations from communicating their experiences to the public.” Career controversies Mansoori previously said her client “has no intention of returning to public life”. Court documents show 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 behaviour. The former Britain’s Got Talent judge left the show in 2022 after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants. The comments were made during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium. The following year Britain’s Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked. Walliams is known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas. He has also authored of over 40 children’s books, including The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Granny, which was adapted into a BBC film. Characters from his books were the inspiration for rides at Alton Towers’ World of David Walliams attraction, which opened at the theme park in 2021. Alton Towers announced this month it has permanently closed World of David Walliams with immediate effect.