Game of Thrones star Joseph Gatt will be arraigned in Los Angeles later this month on charges of sexually explicit online contact with a minor.
The 51-year-old British actor – notable for his shiny, bald head – appeared at court in downtown LA on Monday with his longtime girlfriend, actress and writer Mercy Malick.
LA Superior Court Judge Kim Nguyen ordered Gatt to be in court for a preliminary hearing she has scheduled for December 18. Prosecutors are expected to present internet evidence allegedly found in Gatt's LA home.
He remains free on $5,000 bail.
Joseph Gatt, 51, was seen at the Los Angeles courthouse on Monday with his longtime girlfriend, actress and writer Mercy Malick
The 51-year-old British actor – striking for his shiny, bald head – appeared in court in downtown LA on Monday
Gatt told DailyMail.com after Monday's brief hearing: 'I would like to talk about this but my lawyer has advised me not to comment at this time'
Gatt – wearing a charcoal gray suit and white open-neck shirt – told DailyMail.com after Monday's brief hearing: 'I would like to talk about this but my lawyer has advised me not to comment at this time .'
He was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2022 and his home was searched by police officers from the Juvenile Division, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, armed with a search warrant.
He was charged with “contact with a minor in connection with a sexual offense” and he also faces a second charge of felony possession of an offensive weapon.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges at subsequent court hearings and although he was granted a $5,000 bond, he was also ordered not to spend unsupervised time with minors, have any pornography and not use social media use except for work.
A week after his arrest, London-born Gatt, who has lived in the US for 18 years, vehemently denied the allegations on Twitter.
His dark-haired girlfriend, Mercy Malick, lashed out at the allegations on social media, calling them “beyond insane”
According to her Instagram profile, Malick is a yogi, does aerial acrobatics and loves animals
The couple is pictured with two huskies. Gatt has a condition called alopecia universalis, which caused him to lose all his hair at the age of 14
“I would of course like to address the absolutely horrific and completely untrue allegations that have recently been made against me,” he wrote. “They are 100% categorically wrong and reckless.
“I am fully cooperating with law enforcement and the LAPD to get to the bottom of this,” he continued.
'I look forward to clearing my good name. Thank you to all my friends and supporters who know this is not true and understand that for legal reasons I cannot comment further on social media.”
His dark-haired girlfriend, Mercy Malick, 51 — who wore a fitted brown jacket, black pants and black high heels in court Monday — has also lashed out at the allegations on social media, calling them “beyond insane.”
“So much love to everyone who has already stepped up to support Joe and myself,” she wrote. “Those who know us obviously know that the accusations against him are insane.”
A week after his arrest, London-born Gatt – who has lived in the US for 18 years – vehemently denied the allegations on Twitter.
Gatt played Thenn Warg in the hugely popular HBO series Game Of Thrones
Gatt depicted in 2014 in the series The 100
One of Gatt's most high-profile roles was playing Thenn Warg in the hugely popular HBO series Game Of Thrones.
His character was a member of the Thenn, a tribe of Free Folk known for their practices of ritual self-scarring and cannibalism.
After appearing in several season four episodes in 2014, his character was killed in the Battle of Castle Black
Gatt also starred in several blockbuster films, including the live-action Disney remake Dumbo, Star Trek Into Darkness and Thor.
The actor – who has a condition called alopecia universalis, which caused him to lose all his hair at the age of 14 – started his acting career with an appearance in British police drama The Bill in 1999.