Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
15%
3 of 20 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
91
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
British comedian and children’s author
David Walliams is being investigated by London police over a series of alleged sexual offences.
asserted
Walliams → investigate → offences
The investigation follows reports by leading British media houses stating that he used his celebrity status to groom teenage girls and young women.
asserted
he → follow → girls
The Metropolitan Police said on Friday that it had received several allegations of non-recent sexual offences in recent days.
asserted
it → say → days
The force stressed that the complaints under investigation are separate from those detailed in a joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian, but said officers would examine the media reports to establish whether they contained evidence of further offences.
asserted
they → stress → offences
The allegations reported by the two outlets include claims that Walliams sexually assaulted a woman at his London home when she was 15 and groomed other girls while they were teenagers.
uncertain
they → report → girls
The three-year investigation involved speaking to more than 100 people, the outlets said.
asserted
outlets → involve → people
Walliams, 55, has denied the allegations, insisting he had not broken the law and was not a sexual predator.
asserted
he → deny → law
In a written response to ITV News and The Guardian, he said he was “devastated” that women he had met 10 to 20 years ago had expressed hurt or anger towards him.
asserted
he → write → him
“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 said.
asserted
he → abuse → that
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, who is leading the investigation, urged anyone who had experienced a sexual offence to contact police, regardless of when it occurred.
asserted
it → lead → police
He said specialist officers were available to support complainants.
asserted
officers → say → complainants
The investigation follows Walliams’ unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court injunction preventing The Guardian and ITV News from publishing their findings.
asserted
investigation → follow → findings
His lawyers argued that publication could lead him to take his own life, citing two previous suicide attempts.
uncertain
publication → argue → attempts
A medical expert appointed jointly by both sides found that publication posed a serious risk to his mental health.
asserted
publication → appoint → health
However, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the injunction, ruling that blocking the reports would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with the media’s freedom of expression.
asserted
blocking → reject → expression
The court was not deciding whether the allegations against Walliams were true, but whether the reporting could be legally prevented.
uncertain
reporting → decide → Walliams
The controversy has already had consequences for the entertainer’s career.
asserted
controversy → have → career
Publisher HarperCollins dropped him last year following allegations of inappropriate behaviour, while his literary agency also severed ties with him.
asserted
agency → drop → him
The BBC has begun removing some of his programmes, including Little Britain, from iPlayer, and his Labour Party membership has been suspended.
asserted
membership → begin → iPlayer
Walliams, best known for co-creating and starring in the comedy series Little Britain, is also one of Britain’s best-selling children’s authors.
asserted
Walliams → know → authors
The Aporia
