Police investigation launched after man was falsely accused of being Baby Reindeer abuser

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

A police investigation has been launched after a man was falsely accused of being the abuser in Baby Reindeer.

The seven-part show - which is currently in the top spot on the streaming platform - is based on the true story of comedian Richard Gadd, who found himself in a terrifying situation when he was relentlessly harassed by a stalker.

In one particularly harrowing episode of the Netflix series, Richard is groomed and raped by a TV comedy writer named Darrien who was played by Tom Goodman-Hill.

People online have since shared their speculation of who the real-life person behind the character actually is with some wrongly pointing to Sean in a series of 'defamatory, abusive and threatening' social media posts.

Gadd has also stated the speculation is 'unfair'.

Sean took to X, formerly Twitter, earlier this morning (23 April) to share a statement to his 2.2k followers following such claims.

Sean Foley shared a statement to Twitter today. (X/@SeanFoleyJ)

It reads: "Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me."

Sean also previously reposted a screenshot of one of Richard's Instagram stories in which the 34-year-old comic penned an emotional statement.

Richard wrote: "People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation.

"Please don’t speculate on who the real life people could be. That’s not the point of our show."

He signed off: "Lots of love, Richard x X."

Richard posted his statement to Instagram. (Instagram/@mrrichardgadd)

Since the show landed on the streaming service, Richard has spoken publicly about his experience on several occasions, and has consistently used his platform to emphasise that the show aims to raise awareness of mental illness, not to launch an attack.

"Stalking on television tends to be very sexed-up," Gadd told Netflix. "It has a mystique, it’s somebody in a dark alley way. It’s somebody who’s really sexy, who’s very normal, but then they go strange bit by bit.

"But stalking is a mental illness. I really wanted to show the layers of stalking with a human quality I hadn’t seen on television before."

Baby Reindeer is currently available to stream on Netflix.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.