For what it’s worth, I can totally see a path in which Dan Wootton wriggles out of this. There’s a real reticence within the British media to report his alleged crimes or give Wootton the full tabloid treatment. Given what we already know of Wootton’s blackmail scheme and connections, I absolutely believe that he has kompromat on powerful people within the royal, political and media establishment. The stories about his connections to Prince William’s senior staffers just… disappeared. No one is mentioning them or investigating them. There’s a path for Wootton to simply disappear quietly – perhaps back to New Zealand – with no criminal charges. There’s also a path where the powers that be actively protect him and cover up his alleged crimes. The lack of media pile-on is notable – they haven’t decided what to do about the Wootton Problem yet. Speaking of:
The Sun’s parent company has hired external lawyers to help investigate “very serious” allegations regarding Dan Wootton’s time at the tabloid, the Guardian has been told. Wootton is facing allegations he used a pseudonym to secretly offer current and former Sun colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material
Rupert Murdoch’s News UK asked staff to contact its most senior lawyer if they have any information regarding the claims. They promised that all information would be treated in confidence, offered counselling services to anyone affected, and asked employees not to talk to journalists while inquiries were under way. Employees were told: “The matters reported are obviously very serious and include allegations that certain actions of Mr Wootton may have affected some members of staff at the Sun.”
A source at News UK said the company had also employed external legal counsel to advise and assist with its investigation.
Wootton also writes a regular column for MailOnline, which usually appears on Mondays and Thursday. The company has said it is looking into the allegations against the presenter and would not comment on whether it would continue to publish his writing.
The Guardian has spoken to seven current and former Sun employees who say they received emails from Martin Branning – understood to be a portmanteau of EastEnders characters Martin Fowler and Max Branning. All claim they were offered large sums of money in return for pictures.
News UK is arguably doing the same thing the media company did at Fox News when the Roger Ailes stuff came out – hiring a neutral third party to help with the complaints and getting their in-house lawyers involved early. The Ailes case was also about sexual harassment and abuse, but not blackmail, videos and photos. But I still don’t expect this to go the same way as Roger Ailes/Fox News – for one, Wootton no longer worked for News UK. This reads more like an exercise in ass-covering more than anything else. I hope I’m wrong!
Additionally, John Cleese apparently wants the mainstream media to fully investigate Wootton. Cleese will have a show on GB News, the same station which currently employs Wootton. There has been no word on whether GB News is actually conducting an investigation.
Photos & screencaps courtesy of Avalon Red, GB News.
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- 119409, Dan Wootton attends Lorraine’s High Street Fashion Awards in London, England. London, United Kingdom – Wednesday May 21, 2014.,Image: 533821190, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: DRP, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
They can say they are hiring lawyers but the real question is did they? Or is this just a red herring to distract and nothing is really being done. I believe he has lots of dirt on the royal cult and probably government officials and that they will protect themselves by helping him. We shall see.
My view — they hired lawyers so that they can find and fire all informants under some bs guise of not following company protocol in reporting misdeeds. That is a very, very common way to fire people who complain about illegal behavior, alleging that they did not go through proper channels.
He’ll skate because there is no one left in the British “press” that care about integrity or truth. Prove me wrong British press, but I bet you don’t.
England is a terribly small, insular place. The go-to reaction is to cover-up and bury allegations to protect the status quo. The place doesn’t have enough diversity of interests, business and otherwise, for an outsider to push an opposing narrative, even the Guardian is pretty muted.
@susanCollins, your exactly right Susan, what solicitors?, they should name every so called solicitor so they have at least the optics of transparency? And how the hell are they independent when the papers are paying them? The people who should be investigating each and every complaint are the police and the press watchdog. I hope justice is served (Wooton is locked up for a long time) or as a lot of us suspect, will “Royal connections” intercede on his behalf
I also love the way they say “external lawyers” as though that somehow makes them neutral. Dude, you hired lawyers. They work for you. Ergo they are not neutral.
Agree with you & Mary Pester. If those lawyers want more such jobs, they’ll produce the report that is wanted of them.
The hiring of lawyers is to protect the company, no doubt, not investigate properly. Definitely a CYA maneuver.
@BEANIEBEAN, exactly
Don’t be surprised if this is just another “Catch and Kill” operation. Woo woo has royal protection because he allegedly knows too much about the heir’s wanderings.
“They promised that all information would be treated in confidence, offered counselling services to anyone affected, and asked employees not to talk to journalists while inquiries were under way.”
Yeah, they’re trying to bury this by faking like they will investigate this thoroughly.
@Snuffles exactly I noticed them asking staff just to speak to them NOT to outside journalists from Guardian and Byline Times who are already investigating Danny Rotten! If you value your career speak to them in exchange for a settlement and an NDA. Yes they are responding but this is about ass covering not finding out the truth about Rotten’s nasty behaviour. They only care about scoops and they are NOT bothered about how he gets his information and definitely not about who gets hurt in the process.
The “request” that employees not speak with journalists while “the investigation” is ongoing is a big red flag. They are desperate to keep all information in house where it can be controlled and, ultimately, killed.
Am I the only one who leaned back in their chair at the sight of him in that top photo? Oof, he gives me the absolute creeps. That part about John Cleese is very interesting. Wooten is a huge liability with this hanging over him now. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and whether or not he will go quietly…if he goes.
You are not alone. He’s the kind of guy you’d cross the street to avoid, or stay to the far side of the corridor should you be unfortunate to be sharing the same hallway.
He’s the kind of guy you avoid if he’s in the only structure for protection during a sharknado.
Botox, hair dye, blepheroplasty and an unusual amount of gum recession for a person that is only 40. Adds to the “creepy doll” look. Fast forward and he will be some version of Siegfried and Roy. Or Liberace. or Barry Manilow.
The BM is tip toeing around this whole story. Compromised cowards. ITV and the bbc mention “allegations” but never the words blackmail and photos. Wonder why.
If he goes down for his crimes and abuse then I will be happy for his victims. They deserve justice.
Wootton holds a lot of secrets that’s why is still protected by the media.
Lainey wrote yesterday that he’s “credibly accused” of bullying/emotional abuse and rape.
But yes, sounds like he might get away with it.
Oh boy. I’m concerned the employees will be made to sign NDAs after being told not to speak to journalists. I think the Sun is looking to bury the story and protect itself and its officers. External lawyers are obligated to the employer not the employees. People should always seek their own legal representation, never use a company provided lawyer, for a personal matter.
This move by the Sun tells me some big names are at risk and they are looking to protect themselves.
I was concerned that the litigious Mr Rotten had prevented Byline Times from publishing part 2 of its
Investigation yesterday when it didn’t appear as promised. However, apparently they were deluged with so much information in response to part 1 that it has merely been delayed NOT cancelled. Quite a number of people appear to now know who Martin Branding really is and want to tell what they know.
It is barely 6 weeks when Mr Rotten was denouncing the toxic environment on This Morning and Philip Schofield for taking advantage of his power and status as a top TV presenter to exploit a vulnerable teenage show runner. The unmitigated gall, hypocrisy and stupidity of this sad little man publicly pointing at someone else despite his own skeletons which are now being rattled! Scary looking weasel deserves a taste of his own medicine after leaving a trail of human wreckage in his wake!
I think we are going to see JS numbers by the time this all comes out, he has been doing this for over a decade. My understanding is that the “Branning” Alia’s has been under investigation for years but now that they know “Branning” is actually Wooton they can actually connect the dots. I have a feeling it is going to be to big for a cover up, he probably won’t be prosecuted since Britain doesn’t seem to prosecute any sex offenses of powerful people, but hopefully he will be so toxic no one will publish his hateful opinions or broadcast his lies and racist hate anymore.
I’ve bought a byline times subscription because if anyone will investigate to get the truth, it will be that publication.
Such BS. The Brit press have already been covering for wooten. In all seriousness the brits are just fine with what he’s done just like Andrew and all the other perverts they always protect. I can’t for the life of me figure out why they somehow need and or want the filthiest people around.
Agreed!
@soutgernfried, believe me, a lot of us brits bloody hate him and want him of the screens and out of the press altogether
I admit that I read the name “Dan Wooten” and my eyes glaze over a bit so I don’t have the firmest grip on what he’s alleged to have done – catfishing people and blackmailing people, I know that much.
The Pentagon Papers, the Epstein lists (the real ones, not just who flew on his plane; lots of people flew on his plane and not all of them are pedophiles), now this. Just once I would like the rich and powerful to get their comeuppance, not just a few nibbles around the edges.
Huw Edwards was in ALL of the British media 24-7, first anonymously and then named. The Guardian, all the TV channels, the tabloids…everyone had live blogs running on him. And Huw Edwards was accused of something less egregious than Dan Wootton! I simply cannot understand why the British media is mostly ignoring this story, whereas they went all out for a BBC presenter about two weeks ago. The difference in coverage is absolutely staggering. Huw was gross. Dan is worse, yet crickets. Can someone from Britain explain this?!
I am a Brit and I confirm that Philip Schofield and Huw Edwards both received round the clock coverage it is glaringly obvious that Rotten has Murdoch press, the Mail etc., in his corner. Rotten was in NZ when Huw scandal broke but he had far too much to say about Schofield given the “blood” on his own hands. Despite his powerful mates he was the focus of Blind items in both Private Eye and Popbitch talking about his absolute crust in pontificating about others when it was well known in media circles that allegedly he used to harass younger male co workers both inside and outside work.
I have lived in the UK for 15 years. Here’s my take.
First, for folks outside of the UK: Huw Edwards is the most recognised TV news anchorperson in the UK. Worked at the BBC for, like 30 years. Think of him as Walter Cronkite. The Sun reported that he requested sexual images from a 20 year old and that it started when the youth was 17 years old (a crime) and the youth’s parents had informed the BBC but they did nothing about it. This forced the BBC to report on it so they did not appear biased. (They have their own history of biased, poor judgement — BBC journalists tried to report on the pedophile Jimmy Saville several years ago but were shot down by BBC higher ups. So the BBC can not be seen to do that again.) The legit UK news sites (Guardian, BBC etc) were solely reporting on The Sun’s story. They had no way of contacting the original sources. The Guardian did a good job of mentioning this, but the BBC well… they walked into a perfectly laid trap set up by The Sun. The BBC, to seem like they were “unbiased”, suspended Huw immediately and started really digging into the story, finding information that really should have gone to the BBC’s HR, and was not criminal. They were not “unbiased” at all but very biased against themselves. (Idiots.)
This was perfect for The Sun. (1) Their story did not actually have legs. Surprise! The young person who is 20 years old said that the story was “rubbish”, they have not been on speaking terms with their parents for awhile, and they had told The Sun it was rubbish before they published. The Sun failed to mention this. (2) The BBC was now churning out the stories on their own anchorperson themselves, even after the police looked into the situation and said no crime had been committed. Huw, who has a history of severe depression, is now receiving mental health support in hospital.
In fact the goal of the Huw story wasn’t to take down Huw, but to take down the BBC. Murdoch dislikes the BBC and will take any opportunity to get a punch in. Think of it as the old Peanuts comics where Lucy would hold up the football for Charlie Brown to kick and she would pull it away at the last moment so he’d fall on his back. He fell for it every time. And the BBC fell hard for The Sun’s stunt. They lost their reputation by their own poor reporting… on themselves.
So why was the Huw story — which was really not as serious as the Dan Wooten story — much more covered? Because The Sun wrote the Huw story without the due diligence of a proper newspaper and convinced the BBC to run with it. That just isn’t the case with the Dan story. Why would the tabloids push this story on one of their own? And legit sites usually require cross-checked evidence before reporting.
I will end this crazy long note with optimism: This story may get legs, but don’t expect The Guardian (or other legit site) to publish without crossing all their T’s and dotting their I’s first.
Just to add to this comment: the parents went to the police in Wales first in April/May of this year and were advised there was no evidence of a crime being committed, the parents then reported to the BBC but refused to engage and did not answer phone calls or reply to emails to assist in investigating the claims, so the BBC could not go forward without the parents confirming details. The MET in London were then contacted after the story ran and also found no criminal act was committed. So TWO different police forces found no criminal act had been committed but still The Sun ran with the story and Huw Edwards is under hospital care for his mental health and his career is over.
Thank you for this. I sincerely hope Murdoch is defeated and the BBC learns its lessons.
I do not live there, so here is my question…why are the police not involved?
Byline Times handed their 28 page dossier to The Met Police at the end of June for their consideration. Separately a man complained of being raped in a hotel room 9 years ago to the police but he believed that his claim was not taken seriously due to working as an escort and a prior conviction which he acknowledged on twitter. There SHOULD be a full investigation by the police to determine whether crimes have been committed without fear or favour and DW should be treated fairly by the law as SHOULD everyone. If DW is being smeared by dark forces then he has nothing to fear and should welcome and cooperate fully with any police investigation to clear his name. Let’s see what the Met determine and that will guide the way forward.
The Met is rotten through and through so I don’t think we can count on them to do a thorough investigation. It’s full of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia. One of its officers kidnapped Sarah Everard and murdered her, and many women officers have complained of being sexually harassed and bullied on the job. Sadiq Khan is actually chairing a new oversight board for the Met for the foreseeable future, maybe that will give some impetus to do a thorough investigation and get some justice for Wootton’s victims.
So I know byline gave the police their investigation so presumably there will be follow up…I’m just really curious if any of the blackmail victims have gone to the police in the past. It just takes one blackmail victim for it all to start unraveling.
The first Byline article I read said that some victims had gone to the police. Maybe they could sue Wooton if the police won’t do anything.
I believe the investigation announced by the Sun is an attempt to hide Wootton. The victims’ accusations will be heard and they will be offered compensation in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement. Consequently, the complaints will never be made public or brought to the attention of the prosecuting authorities.
Look toward the money. For years, Matt Lauer got away with sexual harassment, abuse and assault because he was the highest paid at NBC. Everybody knew about it, but no one could challenge him. But once he became a financial liability, then suddenly the executives discovered morals. The same will happen with Wootton.
I think Wootton is not as safe as he thinks. I believe he has kompromat on the Royals (William), government officials and other people of note because of his rise. What’s the chance foreign enemies of the UK are reading this mess and think they can shake down a whole country. Wootton is now a national security risk. I wouldn’t be surprised if the powers that are plotting to neutralize him, not save him.
Like Epstein.
I thought part 2 of the Byline story was going to come out yesterday. I know they said they got a flood of new info that they had to verify and what not but I was still hoping for an evening release.
It’s out. Not a lot of new info tho. The next installment is going to be about the catfishing. I imagine they’re pretty busy over there following up with new leads.
I want to know more about his connections to William and what he has on Willy.
More importantly, though, I want his victims to get justice.
The second part of this is up on Byline Times. The headline: Dan Wootton was a ‘Serial Bully’ at the Su–But Bosses Prompted Him as Complaints Were Silenced.
Don’t know how the Sun is going to be able to sweep this under the rug.
I want ONE just ONE decent uk paper (if there is one left) to say, “sod this cloak of silence”, and print the whole disgusting saga of this dirty, horrible little man WITH RECEIPTS, so there can be no more hiding away or NDAs
Then I want one decent investigative reporter and one paper NOT OK THE PALACE POCKET, to do a deep dive into the WHOLE LOT OF THE ROYALS IN THE UK. I’M a Brit and I’m sick to death of this mafia family being able to do whatever, whenever they want
I would LOVE to find out who exactly it was at the Scum or NOTW who did the deal with Wanker Willy and paid him a million+ pounds. Was it a directive straight from Murdoch? And what exactly did the phone-hacking reveal? I fervently hope that this Wootton reveal will start the process of bringing the whole filthy house of cards down. As Harry said…“How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?”
Exactly! When this first came out my mind went straight to Willy’s “substantial settlement” – why so much and why such a secret?
The day this news broke I said nothing will come of this. look at Epstein. So many names will never come out because the rich and powerful know how to bury a story. Same thing will happen here. Wooten wins unless someone with a backbone is willing to sacrifice his reputation by not letting this go. William must be protected at all cost.