Man who accused Louis Walsh of sexual assault set to be charged with extortion
The man who accused X Factor judge Louis Walsh of sexually assaulting him in a Dublin bar will reportedly be charged with extortion and wasting police time.
The 24-year-old, named as ballroom dance teacher Leonard Watters, initially claimed that 58-year-old Walsh had groped him after a Westlife concert.
He reportedly broke down when being questioned by police and admitted that he said the music mogul had assaulted him in the hope he would pay him to stay quiet.
Walsh, who was questioned by police over the claims, denied the allegations from the start, calling them “wholly false”.
In a statement yesterday, he said: “I have been informed that I am no longer under investigation. I have robustly maintained from the outset that this alleged incident did not occur.
“This has been a hugely distressing time for me but I would like to thank friends and colleagues for their support.
“I am now just looking forward to getting back to work.”
Walsh added that he would seek damages from the Sun newspaper for reporting the false allegations, saying: ‘I have no intention of letting this matter rest until I have received total and absolute vindication.”
The star was backed by celebrity friends, who rushed to his defence.
Simon Cowell said: “I have known Louis Walsh for 20 years and I don’t believe for a second that these allegations are true.”
