‘He was lecherous and creepy’: Hardeep Singh Kohli faces new harassment allegations

Comedian, broadcaster, and chef Hardeep Singh Kohli might find himself in hot water once again after more women have come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment.

A Labour Party official and the chief executive of an addiction charity have accused him of further predatory behaviour.

Laura McConnell alleged Kohli bombarded her with unwanted sexual comments after he reached out to her on social media.

“He phoned me and immediately started talking about sex,” she told a publication. “I told him I didn’t feel comfortable but he tried to make out there was something wrong with me because I didn’t want to engage with him in sex chat. He was lecherous, creepy and so pushy.”

The vice-chairwoman of Edinburgh East Labour Party admitted she was aware of other women who claimed to be in a similar position.

Kohli was previously accused by comedian Lulu Popplewell of improper behaviour at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2009, he was even sacked from his reporter role on BBC’s The One Show after a female researcher accused him of inappropriate conduct.

In 2020, 54-year-old Kohli apologised for “intimidating, undermining and undervaluing” women after several women complained about his unwanted advances, inappropriate touching and even degrading rape jokes.

“I have been reluctant to make a statement regarding the allegations against me. This is primarily because I fundamentally believe that every person should have the platform and space to say what they feel needs to be said. Any offer of context, explanation or alternative narrative would diminish their words and that is something I did not want to do. It is now clear to me that my actions and words made women feel intimidated, undermined and undervalued. For this, I apologised unreservedly, and can only hope to live a life of greater understanding,” he had said.

Stay tuned to this space for more updates.