Police investigating David Walliams over reports alleging serious sexual offences

The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into David Walliams over reports of "alleged serious sexual offences".

It comes after ITV News and the Guardian published reports alleging that Walliams had been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.

The Met said that the allegations being investigated are separate from those reported by ITV and the Guardian, but as "part of their investigation, detectives are also proactively reviewing that reporting to establish whether there is any evidence of offences".

When those allegations were first reported, Walliams said he was "not a sexual predator" and had not "broken the law".

In a statement released on Friday, the Met said it had "received a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s".

"Those who have come forward are being supported by specialist officers," the statement added.

Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney said: "We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to come forward and speak to us, no matter when it happened.

"We know reporting allegations of this nature can be daunting, but specialist officers are on hand to provide support, answer questions and guide you through the process."

Allegations against the entertainer and children's author were published after he lost a legal bid to stop claims against him being made public by the media.

Some of the women in the investigation accused Walliams of "grooming" them when they were teenagers.

One now characterises her alleged encounter with Walliams at 15 years old as a "sexual assault". Walliams strongly denied he had any sexual contact with the girl.

He said he rejected any allegations of criminal activity and that he has never engaged in the grooming of young women.

The Guardian and ITV News said that several of the women, who do not know one another, allege they were targets of unwanted sexual advances from Walliams.

The investigation also claimed Walliams had a sexual relationship with at least one junior employee at publisher HarperCollins, and pursued another.

Other women alleged inappropriate behaviour at ITV's Britain's Got Talent, such as inviting girls and young women to his dressing room.

In a letter addressed to journalists working on the ITV and Guardian investigation, Walliams wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.

"I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.

"And 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."

He added: "I am not a sexual predator. 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 shot to fame in the early 2000s with BBC sketch comedy Little Britain, served as a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent and launched a best-selling series of children's books.