SEX predator libel case star Noel Clarke was yesterday arrested by police.
Detectives raided the Dr Who actor’s family home and a dog unit was used in the search.
Noel Clarke outside his home today[/caption]
Officers were seen carrying boxes outside the house[/caption]
The arrest of the 49-year-old star follows his failed libel case against The Guardian newspaper[/caption]
Clarke with his wife on the red carpet[/caption]
The arrest of the 49-year-old star follows his failed libel case against The Guardian newspaper.
More than 12 women gave evidence at the six-week civil case alleging they were sexually abused or harassed by the actor and movie director.
Police swooped on Clarke’s family home in Kensington, West London, before 9am yesterday.
They spent at least five hours at the address and officers were seen leaving the address with boxes containing laptops and documents.
It is understood Clarke was arrested and questioned in custody.
However, the Met Police refused to confirm any details about the arrest or comment on the reasons for it.
Married father-of-four Clarke was released after questioning and arrived back at his home in a Land Rover Discovery with two associates just before 5.30pm yesterday.
One eyewitness living close to Clarke’s apartment said : “A dog unit arrived at 7.30am and parked on the street further down from the address.
“At 9am the officer went in with the dog and there were plain-clothes detectives also at the flat.
“They here for hours before leaving with a plastic box with a laptop and other items in it.”
Married father-of-four Clarke has been ordered by a court to pay The Guardian an initial £3 million payment towards the newspaper’s legal costs defending his libel claim.
The paper alleged he preyed on more than 20 women after abusing his power in the film and TV industry to target and harass victims.
Clarke denied he was a “serial abuser of women” and claimed he was the victim of an “unlawful conspiracy.”
But Mrs Justice Steyn found the articles were “substantially true, adding: “I have accepted some of Mr Clarke’s evidence… but overall I find that he was not a credible or reliable witness.”
The judge ruled last month that the newspaper had succeeded in both its defences of truth and public interest.
Clarke continues to protest his innocence and said after he lost his case: “For almost five years, I have fought against a powerful media outlet and its extensive legal teams over inaccurate and damaging reporting.
“These stories started via anonymous emails portraying me as a monster to attract attention and outrage. The goal was to damage my career, and they succeeded.
“I have never claimed to be perfect. But I am not the person described in these articles. Overnight I lost everything, the media outlet didn’t just ruin my life they ripped through my family’s also.”
The Guardian’s total costs which they are seeking to recover from Clarke are “significantly in excess of £6m,” a legal hearing was told last Tuesday.
Mrs Justice Steyn gave Clarke 28 days to pay an initial sum of £3 million.
Clarke says he has used his life savings to fight the case, remortgaged the family home and has had little or no income for more than four-and-a-half years.
He shot to fame playing Mickey Smith during the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras of Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010.
Clarke also starred in blockbuster films such as Star Trek Into Darkness and turned to writing and directing, making movies including the ‘hood series – Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood.
In 2009, Clarke won the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards, and in 2021 was given Bafta’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema honour.
But that award and his Bafta membership were suspended when women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct.
When allegations against Clarke first emerged in 2022, Jamie Klingler of Reclaim These Streets, who won a high court case about the Met’s handling of a vigil for Sarah Everard, criticised the force.
Ms Klingler said: “Time and time again the Met fails the women of London.
“When will enough really be enough? When will they believe women?”
Cops were seen outside the property[/caption]
Police carried documents from the home[/caption]
