Neil Gaiman denies allegations of sexual harassment by two women

Neil Gaiman subjected two women in their early 20s to “rough and degrading sex” over a period of two decades, according to allegations made against the “Good Omens” actor in New Zealand. The allegations are the subject of a four-part podcast series that Tortoise is investigating.

Gaiman has denied both allegations.

Both women said in Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman that they were in a consensual relationship with Gaiman at the time of the assault. Scarlett, 23, alleged that Gaiman sexually abused her in 2022, shortly after he hired her as a nanny for his child. She accused Gaiman of performing “rough and degrading penetrative sexual acts on her” and provided Tortoise with “contemporary messages and notes” that “support her allegations.”

Gaiman insists the relationship was consensual and lasted three weeks, and did not go beyond petting. He has strongly denied all allegations of abusive behavior.

The second woman, identified only by the initial K, said she met Gaiman at a book signing in 2003 when she was 18. She said the two began a relationship when she was 20 and Gaiman was 40, and the author sometimes subjected her to painful sex “that she neither wanted nor enjoyed.”

Gaiman has completely denied this and calls these allegations “disturbing.”

Tortoise said it was “understood that he believes K’s allegations were motivated by her regret over their relationship and that Scarlett was suffering from a medical condition associated with false memories at the time of her relationship with him,” but stressed that Gaiman’s account was “not supported by her medical records and medical history.”

In addition to denying both claims, Gaiman also claimed that police in New Zealand did not accept his offer to assist with the 2022 claim, which he said indicates the claim lacks substance. Authorities told Tortoise that they have “made several attempts to speak to key individuals as part of this investigation and those efforts are ongoing.”

The Tortoise podcast is hosted by Rachel Johnson, the younger sister of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Producers are Katie Gunning, formerly of the BBC, and Paul Caruana Galizia.