Bafta star faces police sex probe
As number of accusers rises to 27, Noel Clarke’s Bulletproof co-star says his behaviour was British f ilm’s ‘best kept secret’
‘Students were told they had to get undressed and ready for bed’ ‘It is all too typical of the witch-burning climate’
NOEL CLARKE is facing the prospect of a police investigation after seven more women came forward to accuse the Bafta star of a campaign of sexual harassment and bullying.
With 27 women now saying they were sexually harassed or groped by the celebrated actor and director, Scotland Yard has said it is ‘assessing’ a specific allegation.
The Met Police confirmed that a ‘third-party report’ was made on April 21 ‘relating to allegations of sexual offences committed by a male over a period of time’.
A spokesman said no criminal investigation had been launched but that officers are ‘currently assessing the information’.
They added: ‘ We would urge anyone who believes they have been subjected to a sexual offence to report this to police so the information can be assessed and investigated accordingly.’
It came as: The BBC became the latest broadcaster to sever links with the 45-year-old actor; One co-star described his behaviour as the ‘best kept secret’ in the British film industry; Details emerged of Clarke encouraging a class of drama students to ‘ get undressed and get ready for bed’; Bafta chiefs voiced fears that the fall-out from giving a prestigious award to Clarke could ‘destroy’ the organisation; The British Film Institute, which was involved in funding some of Clarke’ s projects, said it was ‘extremely concerned’ about the allegations.
Clarke, a married father of three, has vehemently denied claims by women who accuse him of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019.
They claim he told them to strip off for auditions and forced them into filming nude scenes with him, as well as making unwanted advances and lewd remarks.
New details emerged yesterday of unscheduled acting workshops held by Clarke at the London School of Dramatic Art.
Jake Taylor, the school’s principal, said Clarke joined the board in 2011 in an advisory role and would hold question-and-answer sessions for students. He added: ‘It came to our attention that on one occasion he took it upon himself to turn one of these Q&A sessions into a practical acting workshop.
‘We were informed that in this unsanctioned class he set up improvisation exercises in which students were told they had to get undressed and get ready for bed.
‘Our response was to no longer schedule Noel to take unsupervised sessions with immediate effect.’
In a statement, Mr Taylor said that fresh details in recent days about the session and another previously unknown workshop by Clarke ‘has shocked us’.
‘Had we known about these details at the time we would have ended the professional relationship between Noel and our school with immediate effect,’ he added.
Clarke’s lawyers have denied that the London School of Dramatic Arts asked him to stop giving classes – saying that Clarke’s workshop, called Facing\Your Fears was aimed at helping students with anxieties over performing as actors.
Meanwhile, one of Clarke’s costars has described the allegations against him as the ‘UK film industry’s best kept secret for years’. Christina Chong, who appeared opposite Clarke in the first series of police drama Bulletproof, posted on Twitter: ‘If in doubt, trust me, it’s true... He’s a sexual predator.’
Actress Jahannah James, who appeared in the film Brotherhood, which was directed by and starred Clarke, says she was forced to audition nude for him in 2013, and claims she later discovered he had covertly filmed it. Clarke denies the claims. The allegations have surfaced after Clarke received an ‘outstanding contribution’ award from Bafta last month in recognition of his glittering career writing, directing and starring in critically acclaimed films such as Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood. He also starred as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010.
The Guardian newspaper reported that three senior industry figures had tipped off Bafta about the claims almost two weeks before the ceremony.
In a statement, Bafta claimed it had acted ‘as quickly and supportively as we could, even though we had only received the most generic of claims and no actual first-hand information to investigate allegations which were potentially of a criminal nature’.
However, some suggested it had become a witch-hunt, which undermined the principle of innocent until proven guilty. One leading British actress told this newspaper: ‘It is an hysterical, prurient, overreaction – all- too typical of the witch-burning climate we live in since the mobs on social media began to dictate the rule of law.’
She added: ‘ The rule of l aw applies. Clarke denies all charges and has not yet been proved guilty.
‘When you “no platform” an entire production because of an alleged crime, you are punishing hundreds of innocent creatives for the as-yetunproven misdemeanours of one member. Writer, actors, crews and the public lose their rights.’
Clarke has said he’s ‘deeply sorry’ for some of his actions.
He added: ‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. Recent reports, however, have made it clear to me that some of my actions have affected people in ways I did not intend or realise. To those individuals, I am deeply sorry. I will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better.’