Second rape claim against BBC actor

BRITISH actor Ed Westwick last night vowed to ‘clear his name’ after a second woman accused him of rape.

The BBC has come under pressure to suspend the 30-year-old star, who is already the subject of a police investigation in Los Angeles. Westwick is due to appear in a big BBC Agatha Christie adaptation this Christmas, alongside Bill Nighy and Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson.

But the corporation has declined to answer any questions about the future of the show, Ordeal By Innocence, or its star. Westwick also plays a lead role in BBC comedy White Gold. The actor, best known for his role in the US drama Gossip Girl, has denied both claims of rape and said they are ‘unverified and provably untrue’.

Yesterday, US actress Aurelie Wynn came forward and alleged that she experienced a ‘similar’ ordeal to that of Kristina Cohen, 27, who this week accused Westwick of raping her in his Hollywood Hills home.

Westwick last night said he was cooperating with the police investigation so he could ‘clear my name as soon as possible’.