David Walliams Named as Figure Who Sought Court Order to Conceal Misconduct Claims

British comedian and author David Walliams has been named as the individual who tried to stop ITN and The Guardian from identifying him in coverage of allegations that he engaged in improper and exploitative behavior with girls and young women. Walliams denies the allegations. During the legal proceedings, the children's author, known for the BBC sketch programs Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, was referred to only as 'PPT'. According to TMZ, he was accused of leveraging his celebrity and influence over a period of several years to seek improper intimate relationships with a number of girls and young women. In an hour-long ITN documentary, a woman called 'Alex' said she encountered Walliams at a Little Britain signing event in London in 2004, when she was 15 and he was 32. She alleged that he described her as attractive and looked fixedly at her. A second woman alleged that Walliams assaulted her at his residence when she was 15. She said he kissed and touched her without her consent, and that she moved away and refused. TMZ previously reported that Walliams had been cut from the forthcoming UK film The Road to Nevermore. A person close to the production told the outlet that he was removed after the allegations emerged and that his name had been taken off the film's IMDb page. Lawyers for Walliams contended that exposing his identity would create a serious risk that he would attempt to take his own life. Lawyers for ITN and The Guardian maintained that publication served the public interest and that his mental health concerns should be handled through medical care. Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin rejected Walliams's request to prevent publication, though his identity stayed temporarily shielded while a possible appeal was considered. The judge had earlier cautioned that anyone who violated the court order by identifying Walliams could be imprisoned.