Prosecutors to consider bringing charges against Tim Westwood

Detectives investigating allegations of non-recent intersexual maltreatment against the erstwhile BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood person submitted a record of grounds to prosecutors to see bringing charges.

The transgression inquiries came aft a associated probe by BBC News and the Guardian successful 2022 heard from women who made allegations of predatory and unwanted intersexual behaviour and touching.

The allegations revealed by BBC News spanned the play from 1992 to 2017, erstwhile the 66-year-old was astatine the tallness of his vocation arsenic a starring hep hop DJ. The women besides accused Mr Westwood of abusing his presumption successful the euphony industry.

Mr Westwood strenuously denied the allegations erstwhile the quality outlets' probe was published successful April 2022.

Det Supt Andy Furphy, whose squad is starring the investigation, said officers are continuing their enquiries and proceed to supply specializer enactment to those who person travel forward.

“A record of grounds has present been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and our squad continues to marque enquiries, with enactment from prosecutors. We volition thoroughly and decently analyse intersexual offences arsenic portion of our committedness to making London safer for women and girls.”

The CPS decides which cases should beryllium prosecuted retired of those the constabulary person investigated.

A CPS spokesperson said: “We tin corroborate we received a record from the Metropolitan Police Service regarding allegations of non-recent intersexual offences allegedly committed by a antheral successful his 60s.”

In a statement, the Met Police said “a antheral successful his 60’s has been interviewed nether caution connected 4 abstracted occasions. The offences are alleged to person occurred successful London betwixt 1982 and 2016”.

Officers besides confirmed this probe was not being assisted by the Hydrant Programme “at this signifier of the ongoing investigation”. The Hydrant Programme is simply a nationalist policing programme which was primitively established successful 2014 "to present the nationalist policing response, oversight, and coordination of non-recent kid intersexual maltreatment investigations concerning persons of nationalist prominence".

Officers emphasised the probe is "complex and sensitive" and their "absolute precedence is to support the integrity of our probe and enactment and clasp the assurance of imaginable victims. We indispensable besides beryllium definite determination is nary hazard of jigsaw identification".

In August 2022, a review, led by Gemma White KC, was commissioned by the BBC to analyse the adjacent 20-year employment of Mr Westwood with the broadcaster aft the BBC revealed it had had six historical complaints of bullying oregon intersexual misconduct against the DJ.

It was initially believed the reappraisal would instrumentality astir six months but a study is yet to beryllium published.

Last month, the Met Police warned the BBC that parts of the reappraisal could “interfere with justice” if published. The BBC declined to comment.

A state of accusation petition by BBC News earlier this twelvemonth revealed that the BBC has spent much than £3 cardinal connected the reappraisal truthful far.

The outer reappraisal was examining what the BBC did and didn’t cognize astir the erstwhile Radio 1 DJ’s behaviour. He has denied claims of misconduct saying “it’s each mendacious allegations”.

Westwood hosted the influential rap amusement connected Radio 1 and a drivetime amusement connected sister presumption 1Xtra earlier moving to Capital Xtra successful 2013 erstwhile it changed its sanction from Choice FM. He besides fronted the UK mentation of deed MTV amusement Pimp my Ride successful 2005.

In April 2022, Mr Westwood stepped down from his Capital Xtra show.