Bonnier Books has dropped Christopher Berry-Dee, the UK's top-selling true crime author, after a Guardian investigation detailed allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse against him, including the assault of a 13-year-old student at his art school. Berry-Dee, 78, denies all the allegations, and the fallout has already prompted Waterstones to remove his books from sale in stores and online.

Bonnier said it was "shocked and appalled" by the allegations, is terminating all existing agreements, will not work with Berry-Dee on future projects, and is pulling remaining stock from the market, though it noted unwinding contracts involving third parties will take time. Berry-Dee's books, including Talking With Serial Killers, have sold nearly a million copies and are based on interviews with murderers; he has previously admitted lying to subjects to gain access. Orion, an imprint of Hachette that published his book last month, did not respond to questions about whether it would continue publishing him.