Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams accused of grooming young girls

David Williams was a judge on Britain's Got Talent, a successful children's author and first found fame on the comedy sketch show Little Britain. But now the 55-year-old is accused of using his celebrity to sexually prey on teen girls and young women. A joint investigation by the UK media outlets, The Guardian and ITV News aired the allegations in a documentary. Some of the women's experiences were told through actors. He was a figure of authority to me and he used that power and abused that power. I didn't want to be touched in that way at all. I mean, I was only a 15-year-old. And there are more allegations from his former co-workers. An employee on the set of Britain's Got Talent said he found Williams wearing only a towel in his dressing room while in the company of two young people. And his former publisher, HarperCollins, cut ties with him over several concerns, including an allegation of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior female employee. Today, Williams denied wrongdoing. In a statement, he said he behaved thoughtlessly at times, but wrote, I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law. This all comes after Walliams tried and failed to get a court injunction to prevent the media from identifying him, citing his mental health as a concern. His lawyers say he'd been admitted into a psychiatric hospital. Walliams, I think, is facing some additional problems here. This lawyer says now that the allegations are public, it's possible police could get involved. There's nothing wrong in having contact with a 15-year-old. Of course there's not. But there is if it's a sexual assault. There is if it's grooming. There is, if it's arranging sexual activity with a child, they're all criminal offences potentially. Police in the UK say they are aware of the media reports, but so far no police reports have been filed. Makda Ghebre Selassie, CBC News, Toronto.