Broadcasters failed to take action on “inappropriate behaviour” by David Walliams years before allegations against him came to light, it has been claimed.

Walliams is facing a police investigation after it was alleged he kissed and groped a 15-year-old in his north London flat when he was 36.

On Tuesday, the comedian and children’s author was accused in a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News of using his celebrity to prey on girls. The report was published after a failed attempt by Walliams to block it with an injunction.

Dermot McNamara, a TV agent, told Newsnight that his friend, whose name was not given, was 16 when Walliams invited her to a Britain’s Got Talent screening, after which he invited her and another girl back to his home “where inappropriate behaviour happened”.

The incident had a “profound effect on her mental health and her wellbeing,” he said.

It had been a “struggle” for her to “see him in the media, still getting jobs, still being able to conduct himself in public life.”

McNamara said: “I reported it to authorities and broadcasters.”

Asked if any action was taken, he said, “Not that I’m aware of, no… He was still on TV for many, many years. He was still allowed to, by the sounds of it, be involved with other young women – no.”

Walliams denies any wrongdoing.

The allegations have raised other questions about what was known about Walliams’ behaviour at the time.

TV personality Jonathan Ross released a statement saying he is “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”, after footage circulated of him making a joke at the 2004 Comedy Awards about Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.

Ross said the joke was “submitted to me by the Comedy Awards scriptwriting team, and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him. I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”

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