An award-winning journalist at The Guardian is under police investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting and hitting a woman, The Mail on Sunday understands.
Martin Chulov also faced a separate police investigation for hitting another woman and subjecting her to coercive control, but that probe concluded with no further action taken against him.
The 52-year-old was sacked as Middle East Correspondent for The Guardian after an internal investigation upheld complaints against him. The MoS has been told he launched an appeal, but the newspaper concluded the inquiry in July, standing by its decision.
He has not reported for the newspaper since at least April last year, shortly after he was interviewed under caution by Scotland Yard for the alleged sexual and physical assault on the first woman.
The Guardian launched an internal investigation after two women complained to the newspaper separately. They then went to the police to report the alleged incidents.
The women also alleged he made racist comments against Arabs and Turks and swore at them.
His case comes almost two years after another veteran at the paper, Nick Cohen, left after complaints of sexual harassment were made against him by several female colleagues spanning 17 years.
The Guardian championed the global #MeToo campaign, which originated in America after revelations about the sexual harassment women faced from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Ironically, it is believed it was the #MeToo campaign that gave the two alleged victims the courage to complain against Mr Chulov. A reporter of 29 years, he has been writing on the Middle East for The Guardian since 2008, usually based in Beirut, where he lives with his Lebanese wife and daughter.
The first woman complained to police of being physically assaulted by him at her flat in Chelsea, west London, and sexually assaulted later that night in December 2019. She also claimed she was assaulted by him in a hotel in Turkey in August 2018, sources have said.
The second woman reported him to police for physically assaulting her at her flat, also in Chelsea.
The MoS understands The Guardian upheld two complaints of assault, but said the claim of sexual assault could not be proven.
Last night, the Met said the complaints made by one woman have been investigated and discontinued, but inquiries into the claims made by the other alleged victim remain ongoing.
In a statement, Mr Chulov said: ‘The allegations against me are categorically denied.
‘Many of them have been found to be untrue following independent investigation.’