Neil Gaiman subjected two women in their early 20s to “rough and degrading sex” over a two-decade period, according to allegations against the “Good Omens” actor in New Zealand. The allegations are the subject of a four-part podcast series from Tortoise.
Gaiman denies both allegations.
Both women said in “Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman” that they were in a consensual relationship with Gaiman when the assault occurred. Scarlett, who is 23, alleged that Gaiman sexually assaulted her in 2022, shortly after he hired her to nanny his child. She accused Gaiman of “performing rough and degrading penetrative sexual acts on her” and provided Tortoise with “contemporaneous messages, notes” that “support her allegations.”
Gaiman maintains that the relationship was consensual and lasted three weeks, and did not progress beyond vigorous petting. He has vehemently denied all allegations of abusive behavior.
The second woman, identified only by the initial K, said she met Gaiman at a book launch in 2003 when she was 18. She said the couple began a relationship when she was 20 and Gaiman was 40 and that the author sometimes subjected her to painful sex “that she neither wanted nor enjoyed.”
Gaiman has completely denied this, calling the allegations “disturbing.”
Tortoise said it “understands that he believes K’s allegations are motivated by her regret over their relationship and that Scarlett suffered from a condition associated with false memories at the time of her relationship with him”, but claimed that Gaiman’s story “is not supported by her medical records and medical history”.
In addition to denying both claims, Gaiman has also alleged that New Zealand police have not accepted his offer of help with the 2022 claim, which he says indicates the claim is not strong. Authorities told Tortoise they have “made a number of attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts are ongoing.”
The Tortoise podcast is hosted by Rachel Johnson, younger sister of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and produced by Katie Gunning, formerly of the BBC, and Paul Caruana Galizia.
