Two more women accuse Neil Gaiman of sexual abuse
The writer behind comic series The Sandman and novels including Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline and The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman, has been accused of two further claims of sexual abuse — the latest in a string of serious allegations.
Gaiman was first accused of sexually abusing two women during a podcast. One of these women filed a police report in New Zealand in July. The two alleged victims were in consensual relationships with the writer at the time.
Gaiman vehemently denied the allegations and disclosed that during a similar case in 2022, he had offered to assist the New Zealand authorities. The police declined his offer of cooperation, which he described as showing a lack of substance in the allegations.
In response, the New Zealand police claimed they had made several “attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts remain ongoing.” They added that there were “a number of factors to take into consideration with this case, including location of all parties.”
The two initial alleged cases of sexual abuse occurred in 2003 and 2022, respectively. Although both alleged victims admitted to being in consensual relationships with Gaiman at the time, they accused him of forceful sexual behaviour that the earlier plaintiff described as “neither wanted nor enjoyed.”
Following these earlier incidents, two additional alleged victims have come forward accusing Gaiman of sexual misconduct. These allegations date back as far as 1986 and feature a hefty non-disclosure agreement.
One of the new allegations claims that Gaiman pressured a mother of three to have sex with him in return for letting her and her daughters live at his property in upstate New York. He then allegedly had her sign a nondisclosure agreement of $275,000 for post-traumatic stress and depression in the aftermath of their sexual relationship.
In the other incident, a second woman claims that Gaiman pounced on her “out of the blue” in an “aggressive, unwanted” sexual pass in the mid-1980s. At the time, both were in their 20s.
The allegations against Gaiman span four decades and involve a range of complex scenarios. At present, no legal proceedings have begun, and the writer categorically denies all accusations of sexual abuse.
This is a developing story.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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