Noel Clarke is reported to be suing Bafta for defamation after police dropped an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
According to The Sunday Times, Clarke filed a lawsuit at the High Court In London last week against Bafta, The Guardian Media Group, which first reported the allegations, and GQ magazine owner Condé Nast, which ran an interview with the two journalists who broke the story.
Clarke whose credits include Brotherhood, Adulthood. and Bulletproof, was accused of groping and sexual misconduct between 2004 and 2019 by 20 women who had worked with him. He has denied all the allegations.
Bafta, which presented Clarke with an award for outstanding contribution to British cinema at the 2021 film awards, suspended the award and Clarke’s membership of the organisation following the Guardian story.
In a statement, Bafta said: “A year ago, Bafta was transparent about what led to Mr. Clarke’s award and membership being suspended following serious accusations of groping, harassment and bullying by 20 women published by The Guardian.
“We stand by our decision and are very surprised by the news he now wishes to sue the arts charity. If proceedings are served, we will of course defend ourselves.”
In March, the Metropolitan Police said Clarke would not face a criminal investigation into the allegations as there is not enough evidence against him.
In a statement, The Met said they had carried out a “thorough assessment” of the claims, but “determined the information would not meet the threshold for a criminal investigation”.
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