Former tabloid journalist-turned-host on right-wing station defends himself and denies criminality.
Allegations surrounding another television personality in Britain are being investigated, following high-profile scandals which resulted in two of the biggest names in the country being taken off the air.
Dan Wootton, a host on right-wing television network GB News, has denied any criminality amid reports of claims he used fake identities to offer media colleagues thousands of pounds for filming themselves carrying out sex acts.
However one celebrity has already said that Wooton’s problems are “karma” for the “relentless bullying” she endured from him at the height of her fame.
The latest developments come after BBC newsreader Huw Edwards and ITV daytime presenter Philip Schofield came off-air amid investigations into their conduct.
Philip Schofield admitted to a relationship with a much younger man employed by the show he presented, This Morning, while Huw Edwards faced accusations of paying a teenager for sexual photos, though police found no evidence of criminality.
Schofield has since left This Morning, while Huw Edwards’ wife said he was suffering from “several mental health issues” and had been hospitalised, but would would respond to the allegations when he is well enough.
Wootton previously worked with tabloid newspapers The Sun and the Daily Mail.
“We are aware of the allegations and are looking into them,” a spokesperson for DMG, the owners of the Daily Mail, said in a statement to Euronews.
“We are looking into the allegations made in recent days,” a spokesperson for News UK, owners of the Sun, told Euronews. “We are not able to make any further comment at this stage.”
His current employer GB News has not yet made any comment, but on Tuesday allowed Wootton to broadcast a six-minute statement in which he accepted making “errors of judgment in the past” but denied any criminality.
He said he was the victim of a “smear campaign by nefarious players with an axe to grind,” adding “I, like all fallible human beings, have made errors of judgement in the past. But the criminal allegations being made against me are simply untrue.”
He added that the claims on social media and in publications such as the Byline Times and The Guardian formed part of a campaign to get him “cancelled”.
Byline Times said it had given a dossier of evidence to the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesman for the force would only say it had been contacted in June “with regards to allegations” of offences committed by a man.
“Officers are assessing information to establish whether any criminal offence has taken place,” they said. “There is no police investigation at this time.”
Wootton criticised social media and said “dark forces” were trying to bring down his current employer, GB News.
The broadcaster previously worked at tabloid newspaper The Sun, breaking stories such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping down from royal duties.
Having edited the paper’s entertainment section, Bizarre, he moved on from his role as executive editor in 2021 and joined MailOnline.
One of the stars he covered during his time at The Sun, pop star Lily Allen, spoke out about what had happened, calling it “karma”.
Just over a month ago, Wootton interviewed fellow GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes, a former colleague and ardent critic of Philip Schofield, on a show billed as “the real story”.
Source: Euro News
