The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into David Walliams over "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 ITN 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.

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.

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