Actor Noel Clarke arrested at family home in London

"The actor Noel Clarke has been arrested by police at his family home in London. Detectives searched the former Doctor Who star's property in Kensington and officers were seen leaving the address with boxes apparently containing a laptop and documents. The Guardian understands the Met investigation began on 1 September this year and is being led by the central specialist crime command. Clarke was arrested and questioned in custody. He was later released. The reasons for his arrest are unknown."

"Separately, in August, the Guardian successfully defended a libel action brought by Clarke over an investigation in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women. Mrs Justice Steyn rejected Clarke's claims and ruled the newspaper had succeeded in both its defences, of truth and public interest. The 49-year-old had claimed the allegations in the Guardian's investigation were false and that he had been the victim of an unlawful conspiracy."

"In her ruling at the high court in London, Steyn said she accepted some of Clarke's evidence, but overall I find that he was not a credible or reliable witness. His general pattern was of only being prepared to admit that which was established by documentary evidence (which he had carefully studied), and even then only to the minimum extent shown. Steyn said there had been no conspiracy to lie, and the conspiracy claim did not have a proper foundation."

Noel Clarke was arrested by police at his family home in Kensington, London. Detectives searched the property and removed boxes apparently containing a laptop and documents. The Metropolitan police investigation began on 1 September and is led by the central specialist crime command. Clarke was arrested, questioned in custody, and later released; reasons for the arrest remain unknown. A libel action brought by Clarke over reporting in which more than 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct was dismissed in August; the court found the defendants succeeded on defences of truth and public interest. The judge found Clarke an unreliable witness and rejected conspiracy claims, with testimony from almost 30 people presented.

Read at www.theguardian.com