Police in the UK have dropped their investigation into Kiwi journalist Dan Wootton, saying "no further action will be taken".
In July last year, it was alleged Wootton inappropriately offered colleagues large sums of money for sexual material in a series of claims made online by his ex-boyfriend Alex Truby.
Truby claimed Wootton used a pseudonym and offered individuals money in return for their filming of sex acts. Many of Truby's allegations related to claims during Wootton's employment by The Sun newspaper.
Wootton was subsequently investigated by the publishers of The Sun and the Daily Mail Online, his then-employers, over the allegations.
In a statement, The Telegraph reported police had now dropped the case.
"Officers assessed all information available to establish whether any criminal offence has taken place.
"An investigation was commenced into these allegations. All parties involved have now been advised that no further action will be taken. There were no arrests during the investigation," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police reportedly said.
Wootton released a statement via his lawyers, in which he said he "always knew this would be the outcome".
"I have now been completely cleared in two investigations by the Metropolitan and Scottish police, who have confirmed they will be taking no further action. While I knew this would always be the outcome, the process is now the punishment, with social media acting as the executioner.
"Margaret Thatcher once said that if you ever get trial by media, or guilt by accusation, that day freedom dies.
"She was right. It's high time that all of our ancient rights were once again upheld, chief among them the right to be presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
"If it falls to me to be the champion of those rights, then so be it. It is a fight I am more than willing to take up, not just for me but for all of us."
However, in an unrelated incident, Wootton is still suspended by UK broadcasters GB News over an edition of his programme last September, in which he and his guest, Laurence Fox, made a series of personal remarks about Ava Evans, a political reporter.
MailOnline confirmed they would no longer be working with Wootton after the initial allegations.
