Neil Gaiman subjected two women in their early 20s to “rough and degrading sex” over the span of two decades, according to allegations leveled against the “Good Omens” actor in New Zealand. The accusations are the subject of a four-part podcast series investigation by Tortoise.
Gaiman has denied both sets of allegations.
Both women said in “Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman” that they were in consensual relationships with Gaiman when the assault occurred. Scarlett, who is 23, claimed Gaiman sexually assaulted her in 2022 soon after he hired her as a nanny for his child. She accused Gaiman of having engaged in “rough and degrading penetrative sexual acts with her” and supplied Tortoise with “contemporaneous messages, notes” that “support her allegations.”
Gaiman insists the relationship was consensual and lasted three weeks, and didn’t advance beyond heavy petting. He has firmly denied all accusations 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 pair began a relationship when she was 20 and Gaiman was 40 and that the author sometimes subjected her to painful sex “she neither wanted nor enjoyed.”
Gaiman has denied this entirely and calls these accusations “disturbing.”
Tortoise said it “understands that he believes K’s allegations are motivated by 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,” but asserted that Gaiman’s account is “not supported by her medical records and medical history.”
In addition to denying both claims, Gaiman has also claimed that police in New Zealand did not accept his offer for help with the 2022 claim, which he believes indicates the claim is not strong. Authorities told Tortoise that they made a “number of attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts remain ongoing.”
The Tortoise podcast is hosted by Rachel Johnson, the younger sister of Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Katie Gunning, formerly of the BBC, and Paul Caruana Galizia serve as producers.
