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FINAL APPEARANCE
Last picture emerges of Leslie Grantham looking frail as dark new claims surface
Sex scandals plagued Leslie Grantham's final years and it can be revealed after his death that he had been investigated over an abuse claim
THE newly-revealed sex abuse claim against Leslie Grantham was one of a string of scandals that dogged the former EastEnders star.
Before finding fame as an actor, he was jailed for murder — and his career nosedived after he was exposed taking part in seedy webcam sex.
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Yesterday, shortly after his death at 71, it emerged that he had been investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a schoolgirl.
A woman claimed that Grantham — who was more than 46 years older than her at the time — abused her “in the most serious way” in 2009 when she was under the age of 16.
She approached former police officer Mark Williams-Thomas with the bombshell claim after he led the expose of paedophile Jimmy Savile.
Last night he told The Sun: “In 2012 I received information which I immediately passed on to the Metropolitan Police, which was both compelling and crucially supported by a substantial amount of evidence.
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“People may ask why I have revealed this now after his death, but the answer is that we live in an extremely litigious world, but I am absolutely convinced that there will be other people who are able to shed light on his behaviour and potentially others were targeted.
“I hope this enables people to come forward.”
Operation Yewtree was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to probe allegations of historic sexual abuse, leading to the convictions of Rolf Harris, Max Clifford, Dave Lee Travis and Gary Glitter.
But officers decided not to pursue a prosecution of Grantham — who moved to Bulgaria for his final years. A factor was that the alleged victim decided she did not want to take the matter to court.
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Grantham served ten years of a life sentence after being convicted of murder in 1967, following an attempted robbery.
He was in Germany when he claimed a loaded gun went off by accident as he struggled to mug taxi driver Felix Reese.
At the time he was stationed in Lower Saxony with the Royal Fusiliers regiment of the British Army.
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A look back at some of Leslie Grantham's most iconic scenes as “Dirty” Den Watts in EastEnders
He was released from jail in 1977 having taken up acting and performing for fellow inmates in plays at Leyhill Prison, Gloucs.
He enrolled at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in a bid to launch a career in showbiz.
Grantham shot to fame playing Den Watts in TV’s Albert Square. “Dirty Den” was the first to appear in the soap’s debut episode in 1985.
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His devious character was at the centre of the BBC show’s most famous storyline, when he handed divorce paperwork to wife Angie (played by Anita Dobson) on Christmas Day 1986.
A record-breaking 30.15million viewers tuned in to watch the bombshell scenes.
But Grantham’s career never fully recovered from an online sex scandal in 2004.
He left EastEnders the following year after a total of eight years on screen during two stints.
The star was caught exposing himself and indulging in a sex act while sucking his finger on webcam.
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While talking to a stranger online, he described his darkest fantasies which included threesomes, romping in public, using toys and smuggling the 23-year-old girl into his dressing room for sex.
He insulted several EastEnders cast members of the time including Shane Richie, Wendy Richard and Jessie Wallace — and even hinted at drug-taking on set.
In a statement issued later he apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I am wholeheartedly ashamed of my behaviour and feel that I have let down my colleagues, as well as my friends and family.
“In some small recompense I intend to make a donation to charity as a mark of my apology.”
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Later a woman came forward claiming he also had webcam sex with her while dressed as pantomine villain Captain Hook.
Grantham divorced his wife Jane in 2013, but despite his own scandals cited her “unreasonable behaviour” in paperwork ending their marriage.
Their relationship had been rocked by his online sex shame, and later on TV’s Jeremy Kyle Show, Grantham admitted he had “taken advantage” of his Australian-born wife.
He said: “I have a brilliant wife, who sadly I’ve taken advantage of, I suppose, over the years.
“She says we got married for better or worse. I think she’s got the worse. I’ve got the better.”
Final role in Krays film
LESLIE Grantham’s final acting role saw him return to London’s East End.
He played Met cop Leonard “Nipper” Read in The Krays: Dead Man Walking, which is due out later this year.
Their split prompted dad-of-three Grantham to move to Bulgaria.
He returned to the UK shortly before his death to receive treatment as he battled lung cancer.
The Sun first revealed his health fight on Tuesday, as friends said they feared the worst.
In a statement, a spokesman for the star said: “We formally announce the loss of Leslie Grantham, who passed away at 10.20am on the morning of Friday 15 June 2018.
“His ex-wife and sons have asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time. They will not be making any statements.
“There will be a private funeral which will be attended by close family and friends only.”
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Hollyoaks actor Joe Tracini, 29, revealed how Leslie joked about dying as he laid in hospital days before his death.
In a now-deleted tweet, he wrote: “Last week he could barely hold his head up or make a sound. I held his hand for a while, kissed his forehead and told him I loved him.
As I left, he bellow - ‘What am I f****** dying or something?’ We’ll miss you, Les x”
Yesterday former glamour model and close friend Linda Lusardi told Grantham had endured an agonising battle for some time — trying a string of alternative treatments in a bid to beat the disease.
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Speaking on talkRadio, Linda, 59, said: “I’ve known Leslie for years. I’ve done panto with him a couple of times.
“I think the first panto I did with him was in 2007 in Plymouth and then he directed the panto that I was in last year.
“But he wasn’t well then and you know he didn’t think he’d have as long as this to be honest.
"And he was taking day by day then.
“He was poorly and he’d been poorly for quite a long time.
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“But you know he never complained and he just got on with the job and he’s just going to be so missed, I was quite shocked this morning that he’d actually gone.
“Oh yes he’d had loads of treatment, loads of chemo and loads of different things.
EastEnders star Leslie Grantham admits he became 'bored' of acting during rare appearance
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“He tried alternative stuff. You know he knew he was fighting a losing battle but he just took each day.
“And he was such a character and he didn’t suffer fools and he had a great sense of humour and he was great to know to be honest.”
A representative for the late star declined to comment on the police probe and allegations.
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