LONDON, Aug 2 — Two more women have come forward bringing sexual assault or abuse allegations against famous author Neil Gaiman.
Tortoise Media had previously reported on a podcast that two women claimed Gaiman had pressured them into sexual relations.
Gaiman has denied all the allegations claiming that any sexual relations were consensual or in case, a misunderstanding.
One of the victims has chosen to go on the record, Caroline Wallner, who says she was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for a US$275,000 payment.
Wallner, 55, and her then-husband had been living on Gaiman’s property in Woodstock, New York where they had also been working for Gaiman and then-wife Amanda Palmer.
When Wallner’s marriage ended, she said Gaiman told her ex-husband there was no more work for him, specifically, on the property, leaving Wallner and her daughters to depend on Gaiman for shelter and work.
He then, she alleges, started pressuring her for sexual favours. She said that when she tried resisting his advances, Gaiman kept saying that his wife wanted the space Wallner was using on the property including her studio and residence.
Gaiman then told her if “you take care of me and I’ll take care of you,” which she took to mean a trade of sex for favours.
Wallner also claimed he would send her sexually explicit photos and videos of himself, and requesting the same from her but when she stopped taking his sexual video calls, his business manager told her to vacate the property by December that year.
Julia Hobsbawm’s experience was a one-time incident in contrast to the other women.
She said that Gaiman had made “an aggressive, unwanted pass”, pushing her onto the sofa while forcing his tongue into her mouth, from which she wiggled free.
From then on, she cut off all contact with him but says she regrets not speaking up sooner.
Gaiman said that the event was merely a young man’s misreading of a situation and he had stopped when he realised she wasn’t receptive.
63-year-old Gaiman is a popular book and graphic novel writer, whose works The Sandman, Good Omens (co-written with the late Terry Pratchett) and American Gods were also made into critically acclaimed TV series.
At press time neither Gaiman, nor his ex-wife Palmer (who he was still married to during the time period of some of the alleged abuses) have given public statements or comments on Tortoise Media's reportage.