What at first looked like to be a case blown wholly out of proportion is now increasingly looking like a sad tale indeed, with a third sexual allegation being leveled at Sesame Street’s Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash.

Two weeks ago Clash was first accused of having sex with a boy under the age of legal sexual consent; it appeared to be a ruse as the accuser withdrew the statement and said that the pair had had sex once he was of legal age. However, reports suggested that the claimant was put under severe duress to withdraw his initial allegation, and since then a second and now third allegation has been made.

This one, according to the New York Daily News, alleges that Clash plied the claimant – again supposedly underage – with alcohol in order to groom into sexual activity in his Manhattan apartment. The claim was filed under the name John Doe, who is now 29 years of age. The supposed incident occurred when he was just 16, though, with Clash reportedly going under the name Craig to protect his identity. Following the incident the file claims that Doe was contacted incessantly by Clash to “arrange meetings for sexual encounters”. The lawsuit last week saw 24 year-old Sheldon Stephens file for $5 million after alleging sexual intercourse with Clash aged just 15.