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“The Sandman” author Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault: chronology

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Neil Gaiman at the world premiere of “The Sandman” in London.
Mike Marsland/WireImage

  • Two women have accused “Sandman” author Neil Gaiman of sexual harassment.
  • The allegations are detailed in a new podcast from Tortoise Media.
  • The alleged crimes occurred in 2005 and 2022. Here is a chronology of the allegations.

Two women have accused “Sandman” author Neil Gaiman of sexual harassment.

Gaiman rose to fame as the author of the DC Comics fantasy series “The Sandman” between 1989 and 1996. He continued to explore religion, mythology and magic in his works, including “American Gods” and “Good Omens”.

All three have been adapted into television series and the second season of the Netflix series “The Sandman” is in production.

Tortoise Media’s podcast “Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman,” released on July 3, includes testimony from two women who say he sexually abused them in 2005 and 2022.

The first victim, identified only as K because she wished to remain anonymous, said she began a sexual relationship with Gaiman in 2005 when she was 20 years old.

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Here is a timeline of the allegations.

2005: K begins a relationship with Gaiman.

Neil Gaiman at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
(J.Vespa/WireImage)

The fourth episode of the podcast explains that K met Gaiman at a book signing in Florida in 2003 when he was 18, and their relationship began two years later.

K told Tortoise Media that she had “rough and painful sex” with Gaiman that she “neither wanted nor enjoyed.”

She also claimed that Gaiman had sex with her when she had an infection, “even though she asked him not to.”

February 2022: Gaiman begins a relationship with a woman in New Zealand.

Neil Gaiman at the 73rd National Book Awards 2022.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The second and third episodes of the podcast feature Scarlett, a 23-year-old nanny who claims she began a sexual relationship with Gaiman at his home in New Zealand in February 2022, just hours after they first met.

That day, Scarlett claimed that Gaiman had attacked her in the bathtub, but the two continued to have a consensual relationship.

Scarlett told Tortoise Media that “Gaiman had performed gross and degrading penetrative sexual acts on her.”

She also described how the pain during one incident was “heavenly,” but he refused to stop when she asked him to.

“He laughed and said I needed to be punished and used his belt on me,” Scarlett claimed.

July 2024: Gaiman denies the allegations and says both incidents were “consensual.”

Neil Gaiman at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Tortoise Media released a statement from Gaiman saying, “He denies any unlawful conduct toward K and is troubled by her allegations.”

It continues: “He believes that K’s allegations are based on her regret over their relationship and that Scarlett was suffering from a condition associated with false memories at the time of her relationship with him. This claim is not supported by her medical records and medical history.”

Gaiman told Tortoise Media that during the alleged 2022 incident involving Scarlett, they were “just ‘cuddling’ and ‘making out’ in the bathtub and that he obtained consent for that.”

“His position is that the three-week sexual relationship that followed involved only consensual digital penetration.”

Representatives for Neil Gaiman did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

If you are a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or his website to receive confidential support.

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