Game of Thrones star will appear in court over child offense charge

Jasmine Valentine
Joseph Gatt in Game of Thrones

A Games of Thrones star is now set to appear in court after being arrested for an alleged child sex offense.

Joseph Gatt was originally arrested for alleged “online sexually explicit communication” with a minor, prompting his house to be searched by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The 51-year-old is possibly best known for his role as Thenn Warg in Game of Thrones, with additional appearances in films such as Thor, Star Trek Into Darkness, and the 2019 adaptation of Dumbo.

Gatt is set to appear in an LA-based court in relation to two charges, pleading not guilty to them both.

Game of Thrones actor set to appear in court over child offense

Joseph Gatt in GOT

Before the court appearance takes place, Gatt’s house has already been searched by the LAPD’s Juvenile Division, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Gatt was initially arrested back in April 2022.

According to reports, the task force received a tip-off that the Game of Thrones star had been engaging in said alleged online activity with a minor who was located in a separate U.S. state.

Following this, Gatt was later charged with the two offenses. The official charges read that Gatt has allegedly had “contact with a minor for sexual offense” alongside “felony possession of an assault weapon.”

Though he has already pleaded not guilty, the Games of Thrones star has been released on a $5,000 bail, with additional banning of social media usage, possessing any pornography, or engaging in unsupervised time with minors.

Joseph Gatt statement

Despite the social media ban, Gatt was able to release a statement on the charges on his now private Twitter/X account.

The statement read “I obviously want to address the absolutely horrifying and completely untrue allegations recently leveled against me. They are 100 percent categorically wrong and reckless. I have confirmed errors and misleading information in today’s press release.

“I am fully cooperating with police and LAPD to get to the bottom of this. I look forward to clearing my good name. Thank you to all my friends and supporters who know that this is untrue and understand for legal reasons I cannot comment further on social media.”

The Game of Thrones actor appeared in court for the charges on October 2, 2023, however Judge Enrique Monguia has now adjourned the hearing until December 4. This is due to prosecutor Michael Fern relaying that “additional discovery is needed” in order for Gatt’s case to move to the next stage.

The ICAC Task Force has also said in relation to Gatt’s case “The public is reminded that any suspected inappropriate contact with a minor or knowledge of child sexual abuse material on the Internet, should be immediately reported to their local law enforcement agency or to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678, or missing kids.com.”

For more TV and Movies coverage, head here.