Game of Thrones star Joseph Gatt appears in court after the British actor was charged with child abuse in LA
GAME of Thrones actor Joseph Gatt has appeared in court after allegedly having sexually explicit conversations with a minor online.
He was arrested in April last year after police officers showed up at his home with a search warrant.
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The British actor, 51, appeared in an LA courtroom on Monday with his longtime girlfriend, actress Mercy Malick.
He was previously charged with “contact with a minor for sexual offense” and criminal possession of a weapon to cause bodily harm.
He has been out on bail since his arrest and appeared sombre as he appeared in court wearing a black shirt and brown trousers.
Judge Enrique Monguia later said the hearing would be held again in December because prosecutors needed more time for “additional investigation.”
The LAPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force initially began investigating the actor after receiving a tip about his alleged online activity.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges at the time.
Gatt, who was born in London, was released on $5,000 bail.
He was also banned from unsupervised contact with minors, possession of pornography and use of social media other than for professional purposes.
Police also discovered he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a similar crime involving a minor. KTLA reported.
Investigators then began searching for other possible victims with whom the actor may have had contact.
Gatt denied the allegations in a social media post around the time of his arrest.
He wrote on
“You are 100% categorically wrong and reckless.
“I have acknowledged errors and misleading information in today’s press release.
“I am cooperating fully with the police and LAPD to get to the bottom of this. I look forward to clearing my good name.”
His girlfriend, actress and author Mercy, whom he has been dating since 2009, reshared his statement online at the time.
The couple appeared in court together yesterday.
In addition to his role as Thenn Warg in Game of Thrones, Joseph also appeared in series such as Banshee, Teen Wolf and The 100.
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He has also appeared in various films over the past few decades, including Thor, Star Trek Into Darkness and Dumbo.
He was born in Notting Hill, London, but has lived in the USA for 18 years.
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