Dan Wootton statement in full as he admits 'errors of judgement' live on TV
Dan Wootton admitted to making "errors of judgement in the past" and went on to deny allegations made against him.
The GB News presenter, 40, also said he has "regrets" during his on-air statement on Tuesday night, in which he claimed the criminal allegations being made against him are "simply untrue".
Wootton is accused of using a fake online persona to bribe several men into revealing compromising sexual material over at least a 10-year period.
Representatives for The Sun, Wootton's former employer, and MailOnline, who Wootton currently writes a column for, say they are looking into allegations against the journalist.
On Monday July 17, as Wootton opened his GB News show after a holiday in his home country of New Zealand, Byline Times published a report featuring allegations made against the presenter.
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Dan Wootton addressed the allegations on GB News (twitter.com/danwootton)In its initial report, the publication alleges Wootton "hid behind fake online identities to trick and bribe scores of men into revealing compromising sexual material". Byline Times claims to have seen "extensive evidence" to prove that over a period of 10 years, Wootton posed as a fictitious showbiz agent called Martin Branning to offer sums of up to £30,000 "tax free" to his alleged targets.
The Mirror has spoken to one former colleague of Wootton who was in contact with a Martin Branning but we are yet to independently verify any link between Branning and Wootton.
Byline Times alleges two of Wootton’s alleged targets made criminal complaints to Scotland Yard before learning the real identity of their tormentor. The outlet reports it handed a 28-page dossier of evidence to the Metropolitan Police for investigation on 20 June 2023.
The newspaper published its report following Wootton's name trending on Twitter over the weekend, after a man claiming to be aN ex-boyfriend of the GB News presenter made several allegations against the broadcaster.
Speaking on GB News on Tuesday night, Wootton claimed he was the victim of a "witch hunt" by "nefarious players" and said: "I, like all fallible humans, have made errors of judgement in the past, but the criminal allegations being made against me are simply untrue."
Wootton claims he is the victim is a 'witch hunt'The Guardian reported on Tuesday night that a spokesperson for The Sun's owners, News UK, said: "We are looking into the allegations made in recent days. We are not able to make any further comment at this stage." A spokesperson for Daily Mail owners DMG Media said: "We are aware of the allegations and are looking into them."
Wootton's on-air statement in full reads: "As you probably don’t know, because you’re not insane enough to pay attention to the cesspit of social media, these past few days I have been the target of a smear campaign by nefarious players with an axe to grind. Notably, by an ex-partner who I was previously abused by – something I have never spoken about publicly before, by the way – who has been on a campaign to destroy my life."
The former entertainment correspondent for ITV show Lorraine then alleged his ex previously threatened him after their split. Wootton then claimed to have "been forced to report his behaviour and threats" to the police, who he claims "are now investigating".
He continued: "He has created an untrue story about me and appears to have been working with an organisation who are intent on closing this channel, whose reporters include a convicted phone hacker. The Guardian has also reported it tonight. What a surprise. Other unspeakable slurs have been made by a convicted extortionist I have never even met who has a long history of blackmailing gay men and was sent to jail for a number of years by a judge who said his behaviour was 'compulsive' and provided a 'high risk' to the public.
"I, like all fallible humans, have made errors of judgement in the past, but the criminal allegations being made against me are simply untrue. I would like nothing more than to address these spurious allegations. I could spend the next two hours doing so but, on the advice of my lawyers I cannot comment further.
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"But I have been thinking much over the past few days about the current state of social media, where any allegation can be made in an attempt to get someone cancelled but it is impossible to defend yourself against thousands of trolls. Being in the middle of this witch hunt, has made me think about the sort of journalist and broadcaster I aspire to be, one focused on the massive political threats facing this country, not on personal attacks."
The broadcaster interviewing Britney Spears (Wenn)Wootton then said: "Who doesn’t have regrets? Should I be cancelled for them many years later? Or do you accept that I have learned and changed? The last few years, I’ve grown professionally and personally. I’ve also found the meaning of true love after a truly toxic relationship with my ex.
"I’ve found happiness in my personal life with the love of my life, who is here with me tonight. My friends and family are my world. The toll this has taken on their mental health, well, it’s literally killing me to watch. Our rush to judge before due process, thanks to the mad ramblings of highly politicised Twitter trolls and revolting blogs that eschew basic journalistic standards, is destroying democracy."
He then explained why he "didn't say a word" about the BBC presenter accused of paying for sexually explicit images, saying: "I didn’t know the facts. And I wasn’t going to weigh in until I did." He concluded by sharing his belief "dark forces" are targeting GB News presenters and trying to "take this brilliant channel down."
The Mirror presented the allegations made by the Bylines Times to GB News, who replied: "Dan commented on this extensively in his programme last night and we won’t be elaborating." When asked if GB News will be investigating the claims, like The Sun and the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the broadcaster had no further comment.
Wootton joined the News of the World team in 2007 and was the publication's showbiz editor from November 2008 until the Rupert Murdoch owned paper shut down in July 2011. He eventually returned to the News UK group in 2012, joining The Sun and writing a column for the paper's Sunday edition. The GB News presenter is credited with breaking the news Prince Harry and Meghan Markle planned to quit the Royal Family before an official statement was made.
Over the years, Wootton has been a regular face on some of Britain's most popular TV shows, including multiple appearances as a showbiz reporter on ITV's morning show Lorraine between 2011 and 2019. He also previously hosted a weekly talkRADIO show called "Dan's Dilemmas" and took over from his future GB News co-star Eamonn Holmes as host of the station's drivetime show in February 2020.
In January 2021, Wootton left both The Sun and talkRADIO to embark on a career as a TV presenter with GB News, presenting a daily show on the start-up station four nights a week. The New Zealand born broadcaster also works as a columnist for MailOnline.
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