Neil Gaiman, the best-selling author, has denied allegations of sexual assault against two young women.
In an investigation for the Tortoise podcast co-hosted by Rachel Johnson, sister of Boris Johnson, two women claim that Gaiman engaged them in sadomasochistic acts and told them to call him “master”.
Gaiman strenuously denies the allegations and said all sex with the women – one who briefly worked as the family nanny and another a fan whom he met at a book signing – was consensual.
The first woman said she was hired by Gaiman’s then-wife, the musician Amanda Palmer, in 2022 to look after the couple’s son.
The woman, named Scarlett, claimed that Gaiman sexually assaulted her within hours of their first meeting, stripping naked and joining her in the bath. She was 22 and he was 61.
Gaiman said the incident amounted to only “cuddling” and “making out” and that he had established consent for this.
On another occasion, Scarlett alleged that the sex between them “was so painful and so violent” that she lost consciousness.
“The pain was celestial,” she said. When she asked him to stop, Scarlett said, “he laughed and said I needed to be punished and used his belt on me”. Gaiman denies the allegation.
The relationship continued for another month before Gaiman left New Zealand for the UK, the woman said.
During that time, she sent him numerous messages indicating that she consented to the sexual activity.
She also claimed she was required to sign an NDA after she stopped working as the family’s nanny.
The second woman, an American known only as K, was an 18-year-old fan of Gaiman’s writing when she first met him at a book signing in Florida in 2003.
She maintained contact with him and a sexual relationship began when she was 22. He was then in his 40s.
K alleged that during a trip to Cornwall in 2007, she told Gaiman that she did not want to engage in penetrative intercourse because she had a urinary tract infection, but he went ahead and the act left her “screaming” in agony. Gaiman said the allegation is false.
She maintained friendly contact with Gaiman after their relationship ended in 2008 but told the podcast: “As I got older, I realised that 18-year-olds and 20-year-olds, when you’re in your 40s, look like kids.” She added: “As the #MeToo stuff became more nuanced, that was when I was like, wait a minute, something like that happened to me.”
K did not report Gaiman to the police.
Scarlett did in October 2022, eight months after her brief relationship with the author ended.
New Zealand police did not move forward with an investigation and did not interview Gaiman, although he told the Tortoise podcast that he had offered to meet with officers.
The Tortoise investigation began after Scarlett got in touch with Ms Johnson via Instagram and told her version of events.
Tortoise said that the investigation looked into “the greyest of grey areas when it comes to our sex lives – the area with the scope for genuine misinterpretation, but also the possibility of serious abuse”.
The 63-year-old author is globally renowned for works including The Sandman, American Gods and Good Omens, as well as many popular works for children. His books have been adapted for film and television.
He and Palmer announced their split in 2022. Previously they had spoken of having an open marriage.